Ukrainian FM says Kiev is ready to use ‘unique’ chance to establish peace
Kiev authorities have a "unique" opportunity to end the Ukrainian conflict and establish peace in the southeast of the country, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has told the Russian Kommersant newspaper, Sputnik reported.
"We have a unique chance to come to peace and we must use it. We are ready for it," Klimkin said, referring to the Minsk peace deal, signed in February.
The agreement, reached between Kiev and the self-proclaimed people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DPR and LPR) following 16-hour talks between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France in the Belarusian capital, stipulates a number of measures aimed at bringing the military conflict in southeastern Ukraine to an end.
"I think that in the current situation everyone should do everything to move closer to peace. First of all a ceasefire regime has to be established. Next, all heavy artillery needs to be pulled out candidly and the withdrawal should not be used to gain tactical advantages. And third, one should be honest with oneself and with those who perform monitoring work; I am talking about the Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE," Klimkin said, describing three of the Minsk document provisions.
Speaking about the monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in particular, Klimkin stressed that they should be shown how and where heavy weaponry is withdrawn from southeastern Ukraine.
"What needn't be done is creating an additional concentration of forces on the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk or changing old armaments for new ones instead of withdrawing them," Klimkin said.