Contents tagged with Minsk agreement

  • Lavrov: Ukraine must be forced to implement Minsk agreements

    If Ukraine does not intend to follow the Minsk agreements of its own free will, it must be forced to do so, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the air of the TV channel Russia 1.

    "If it [Ukraine] is left alone, with its conscience, of course, it will not do anything. It must be forced, this is why the Normandy format was created, but Berlin and Paris are still manipulating their obligations," Lavrov said.

    The initial part of Minsk agreements on the settlement of the conflict in the …

  • Ukrainian military command: Ukrainian Armed Forces do not capture territories specified in the Minsk Agreements

    Information about the alleged advancement of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbas is false, according to the statement of press center of the Ukrainian military command in the Donbass, posted on Facebook.

    "In social networks, false information continues to be spread, alleging that the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are moving forward and occupying new positions along the front line," the press center noted.

    Thus, the information has been circulated that the military …

  • Prime Minister of Latvia: Russia's actions in the Donbas contradict the Minsk agreements

    Russian actions in eastern Ukraine contradict the Minsk Agreements and in no way contribute to the resolution of the conflict, as stated by the Prime Minister of Latvia, Māris Kučinskis, during a speech at the Kyiv Security Forum.

    "We see very little progress towards the Minsk Agreements and the resolution of the conflict. Taking into consideration the actions of Russia in recent months, especially in eastern Ukraine, I believe that we must change our approach in cooperating with Russia," Kuč …

  • French Foreign Minister announces signing of document to begin withdrawal of troops from eastern Ukraine

    Next week an agreement may be signed on the withdrawal of troops from three pilot areas, as stated by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Jean-Marc Ayrault, at a joint briefing with the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pavlo Klimkin, and the Foreign Minister of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

    "Turning to security issues, I want to say that next week there will be an important phase, which may at the same time give us both consolidation of these …

  • Ukrainian Chief of Staff says he has witnessed separatists using heavy weapons

    Separatists in the Donbas continue to violate the Minsk Agreements by using heavy weapons against the Ukrainian military. The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Viktor Muzhenko, said this during an interview with Ukrinform while discussing his trip to the Donbas.

    “We had the opportunity to see with our own eyes and hear with our own ears that the Minsk Agreements are really being violated by the enemy, that shots are being fired at our positions from both small and …

  • Poroshenko: Ukraine has fulfilled 95 percent of the Minsk agreements

    Ukraine has fulfilled almost all of its obligations with regard to the Minsk Agreements. This was said on the 11th of July by the country’s president, Petro Poroshenko, after a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

    According to Poroshenko, Kiev has fulfilled 95% of all political commitments and 100% of all security obligations. He also said that in order for the political process to begin, Russia has to fulfill the security criteria as detailed in the agreements.

    The UN had …

  • Peskov: There are no preconditions for another Normandy Quartet meeting

    The Russian side believes that Ukraine does not show any will to fulfill the Minsk agreements.

    The Press Secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, believes that there are currently no preconditions for a new meeting of the leaders of the Normandy Quartet, as reported by the Russian RIA Novosti news agency.

    Peskov noted that even though the “Normandy Four” states  would like to have this meeting there are not preconditions for it.

    “There could be preconditions if the …

  • Separatist Leader: Elections in the Donbas will be held on our terms

    The leader of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Alexander Zakharchenko, has stated that he will not adhere to the Minsk Agreements with regard to the local elections. He said this on Saturday while at a press conference in Donetsk.

    “We will hold the primaries in order to gauge people’s reactions and to show the world that we are ready to hold elections without the consent of Kiev,” Zakharchenko said.

    “I am not going to dance to the tune of Ukraine, France and Germany who want us …

  • Steinmeier: the Minsk Agreements are being implemented at a snail’s pace

    The head of the German Foreign Ministry believes that the diplomatic efforts of France and Germany were instrumental in prevention of a war in Europe.

    At the same time the progress in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements is comparable to a snail's pace. According to the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Germany, this was stated by the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the eve of the twelfth meeting of the Normandy Four.

    Steinmeier fears that the work on the …

  • US Ambassador to Ukraine: Sanctions will not be lifted against Russia until Minsk Agreements are implemented

    The Unites States Ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt stated on the air of ZIK TV that sanctions against Russia can be reviewed only when the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented.

    “The President of the United States, Barack Obama, discussed this position in a talk with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. He also noted the special requirement of granting full access to OSCE observers to the whole territory of Ukraine – up to the internationally recognized borders. Now, there is nothing …