The German and French foreign ministries stated in a joint statement on Thursday (December 23) that Germany and France call on the Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine to respect the restoration of a complete ceasefire.
“We urge both parties to abide by the ceasefire agreement and continue to discuss further measures in the humanitarian field, such as opening border crossings and exchange of detainees, as well as the rest of the conclusions of the Paris summit in 2019,” the ministries said in a statement. Joint Statement.
The United States also welcomed the ceasefire, stating that “the resulting peace will create the necessary diplomatic space for easing regional tensions and provide a positive atmosphere for further discussions.”
We welcome the ceasefire announced yesterday by the Ukrainian and Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. Diplomacy and easing the situation are the best way to resolve the Donbass crisis. https://t.co/Z5JhtAXFL4
— Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) December 23, 2021
The Ukrainian armed forces and pro-Russian separatists accused each other of violating the new ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine on Thursday.
Soon after the Kremlin annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, Kiev has been fighting a pro-Moscow rebellion in two separate eastern regions bordering Russia.
Western countries accuse Russia of conspiring to invade Ukraine and gather about 100,000 troops on the borders of the former Soviet Union. The West is also worried that Russia will use any “provocation” to launch an attack on Ukrainian territory, as it did in Georgia in 2008.
Late Wednesday, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe stated that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to restore the ceasefire.
However, on Thursday, Kiev and separatists accused each other of new violations, and a separatist representative denied that a new armistice had been negotiated.
“No agreement was reached,” Rodion Miroshnik, a self-proclaimed representative of the Lugansk People’s Republic, said on the messaging app Telegram.
“But if you really want to make a statement on one person, why not make it?”
The Donetsk authorities also claimed that a civilian was injured on the outskirts of its de facto capital, Donetsk, in an attack by the Kiev army earlier on Thursday.
The Ukrainian military reported that separatists launched three attacks on their positions on Thursday.
The military said in a statement that the separatists used large-caliber mortars and grenade launchers, but no casualties were reported.
All previous ceasefire agreements — including the previous ceasefire agreement reached in July 2020 — collapsed.
‘Respect the ceasefire’
On Wednesday evening, the representative of OSCE’s rotating chairman in Ukraine, Miko Jinnunin, said in a statement: “I’m very pleased that the participants expressed their firm determination to fully comply with the measures to strengthen the ceasefire agreement on July 22, 2020. “
The statement was issued after a meeting of officials from Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE (known as the Trilateral Contact Group) and representatives of small separatist countries.
Ukraine expressed cautious optimism after reaching an agreement.
Ukraine’s representative Andrei Kostin said in a statement earlier on Thursday: “For the first time in a long time, there is a real possibility to ensure a ceasefire on the line of contact.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova (Maria Zakharova) said that separatists have always respected the 2020 ceasefire agreement and accused Kiev of violating the regulations.
“We hope that Kiev will honor all its commitments to ensure a sustainable ceasefire in eastern Ukraine,” she said.
Since 2014, this battle has claimed the lives of more than 13,000 people.
Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of sending troops and weapons across the border. Moscow denied these claims.
(Editing by Georgi Geteff)
