Russia blocks expansion of OSCE mission to entire Donbas border
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its disappointment that the Russian Federation remains the only OSCE member that "aggressively blocks" the expansion of the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) mandate to cover the entire stretch of the border adjacent to the separatist controlled territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The Ministry released a statement detailing its position in response to a decision by the OSCE Permanent Council to extend the mandate of the OSCE SMM at two Russian checkpoints, Gukovo and Donetsk.
The decision to extend the OSCE mission’s mandate was made at an OSCE Permanent Council meeting on May 3, and demonstrated the "complete isolation of Russia in its reluctance to ensure effective international control at the border."
"Such actions by the Russian Federation indicate its intention to continue the supply of arms, ammunition and military equipment, regular troops, [and] mercenaries in order to support terrorist activities on the territory of Ukraine," the document says.
The Foreign Ministry called on Russia to strictly fulfill its obligations under the Minsk agreements.
The OSCE SMM wants to open patrol bases in Dokuchaievsk, Novoazovsk and Amvrosiivka.