Ukrainian Foreign Ministry: Russia has not fulfilled a single point of the Minsk agreements
The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine urged foreign partners to understand why the ban of shipping traffic across the contact line has been implemented. According to the statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russia has not yet fulfilled a single point of the Minsk accords.
“We have to state once again that Russia has not yet fulfilled any point of the Minsk Agreements. Obviously, there is absolutely no political will of Moscow to fulfill them,” the statement says.
As the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Mariana Betsa noted, “The events of the last month have become an illustrative demonstration of the Kremlin’s intention to continue the course towards the escalation of the armed conflict that it started and its unwillingness to adhere to its obligations," she said.
The MFA Spokesperson emphasized that the nationalization of enterprises by the authorities of the self-proclaimed republics is a powerful blow to the Ukrainian economy, since these enterprises were under the jurisdiction of Ukraine, paid taxes towards the Ukrainian budget, including military fees in support of the Armed Forces, ensured the employment of Ukrainian citizens, and supported Ukrainian metallurgical industries as one of the key sources of foreign exchange revenues.
She reminded that because of the nationalization of Ukrainian enterprises located in the occupied territories by the separatists, and the increasing threats to the economic and energy security of Ukraine, on March 15, 2017, the National Security Council of Ukraine (NSDC) decided to "temporarily, until Russia fulfills the security provisions of the Minsk Agreements, and also until the seized enterprises are returned under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian government, ban shipping across the line of contact."
The Foreign Ministry urged foreign partners to understand the decision as last resort in these circumstances.
Ukraine, will continue to adhere to the Minsk Agreements and make efforts to implement them fully, the Foreign Ministry stressed.
As reported on March 15th, Ukraine, during the meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on the settlement of the situation in the Donbas, demanded the abolition of the nationalization of enterprises in the DNR and LNR.