Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko has said the disengagement of troops in the village of Petrivske and the town of Zolote is postponed due to shelling by Russian-led forces.
"The disengagement was due to begin today, and our negotiation teams agreed on this in Minsk. Unfortunately, you know both Petrivske and Zolote were shelled a few days ago, and as you remember, our decision was that the disengagement begins on the seventh day after peace is maintained on this site and no shelling occurs," he said at a joint press conference with his Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkēvičs in Kyiv, an UNIAN correspondent reports.
Read alsoFM Prystaiko: Zelensky plans disengagement along entire contact line in Donbas
Prystaiko said it is necessary again to wait for another seven days, which "must prove that the parties have serious intentions and are ready for further steps."
According to him, the disengagement provides for the withdrawal of Ukrainian fighters, but the fortified positions will remain.
"If we see that the other side to a conflict is not fulfilling, moreover, God forbid, it plans some aggressive actions, our Armed Forces will take up positions. And believe me, we do not recommend playing and do not recommend trying some steps, such as trying to use the withdrawal as a cover to take up some positions or capture some settlement," Prystaiko said.
The Ukrainian foreign minister also said the Ukrainian police would ensure security in those settlements located in the disengagement area from the Ukrainian side of the contact line.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the disengagement of troops and weapons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Russia-led forces near the village of Stanytsia Luhanska took place in June 2019.
Zelensky said on September 13 that the withdrawal of troops in Petrivske and Zolote would be the next phase of the peace process in Donbas.
On October 1, he announced the disengagement of troops in Petrivske and Zolote.
