US Representative for Ukraine Volker: there is no agreement between Russia and US on peacekeepers in Donbas
US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker said that the Russian Federation and the United States have not yet reached an agreement on the possibility of deploying a UN mission in eastern Ukraine during a meeting with journalists.
He recalled that in September, Russia proposed deploying a peacekeeping contingent on the contact line in the Donbas to protect the staff of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM).
"The Russian proposal was only for the line of conflict and only to protect the OSCE monitors. But, of course, that’s what Russia’s position has always been, so it’s not a surprise that’s what they’re proposing. What’s interesting is they went to the UN to propose anything at all, " noted Volker.
The diplomat also noted that Washington still insists on granting the UN mission a broader mandate.
"For a peacekeeping force to be effective, it would really need to control the entire contested area, to be responsible for the cantonment and the monitoring of heavy weapons, and to control the Ukrainian side of the Ukraine-Russia border," the diplomat said.
Volker added that there is no agreement yet, and that his next meeting with presidential adviser Vladislav Surkov would take place in Belgrade on November 13.
Special Representative Volker has said that the UN resolution on the introduction of peacekeepers in the Donbas may be ready before the end of the year. According to Volker, the US will continue to put pressure on Russia, demanding the withdrawal of troops from Ukrainian territory.