Trilateral Contact Group for Ukraine Finds Serious Ceasefire Violations
Following a recent meeting in Minsk, the Trilateral Contact Group for Ukraine (TCG) made a public statement. In the statement, the TCG indicated that the situation along the boundary line in the conflict area has worsened. The Trilateral Contact Group for Ukraine made an appeal to the parties in the conflict in Donbas to avoid the renewal of military actions and urged them to comply with the conditions of the Minsk agreement.
On November 17, Special Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Martin Sajdik, discussed the situation during an interview in Minsk where the TCG meeting was taking place. According to Sajdik, OSCE observers have recently reported deteriorating conditions in the security area along the line of contact, including serious ceasefire violations. In light of this information, Sajdik stated that the TCG insists on the immediate normalization of relations in the conflict area. Special Representative Sajdik also noted that the humanitarian subgroup of the TCG is committed to working towards the timely release of prisoners of war, particularly those who are seriously wounded.
Darya Olifer, the Spokesman for Leonid Kuchma – former Ukranian president and the Ukraine’s representative for TCG – drew attention to the need to ensure the implementation of the ceasefire. She indicated on her Facebook page that there has been no notable progress towards prisoner exchange at this point. She also stressed that the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the OSCE hasn’t received access to the areas where military weaponry was to be withdrawn. She stressed that enforcing these actions in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions and along the Ukrainian-Russian border have been challenging as they are outside the control of Ukraine.