The so-called "joint inspection" of Ukrainian positions near the village of Shumy in Donbas agreed on at a special meeting of the Minsk Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) has been suspended.
"There will be no inspection today. It has not been cancelled – it has been suspended," a source in the President's Office said on September 10.
"Representatives of the 'DPR' and 'LPR' ['Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics'] terrorist organizations have been members of the JCCC [Joint Center for Control and Coordination] since 2014. Their participation in the negotiations is stipulated in the Minsk agreements signed by [former President Petro] Poroshenko, now they are in the TCG. Although it is not legally binding," the source said.
Read alsoDonbas war: TCG holds extraordinary meetingThe source says Ukraine does not negotiate with terrorists, that is why the Ukrainian president is in direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, since only Russia, which is an aggressor state, may be present at the negotiating table.
"But something needs to be done with the achievements signed by Petro Poroshenko. Let's remember that in 2015, following the results of negotiations between the leaders of illegal armed formations, the signatures of terrorists [Alexander] Zakharchenko and [Igor] Plotnitsky were put under the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements. Poroshenko skillfully forgot about those decisions, with which the current government has to do something, and now he is rocking the public with manipulations. And this is just one example," the source says.
The President's Office is looking for competent legal solutions to end the war in Donbas and preserve Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to the source.
"Although the former government did everything to make the road to peace super difficult," the source said.
Background
- So-called "DPR leader" Denis Pushilin threatened to open fire on Ukrainian army positions from 08:00 a.m. local time on September 7.
- As grounds for such move, Pushilin claimed violations by Ukrainian forces of the latest ceasefire agreement sealed on July 22. He demanded that Ukrainian troops undo the trenches that had allegedly been dug after July 22, and warned that they "have every right" to act to eliminate the alleged violations.
- In turn, Commander of the Joint Forces, Lieutenant General Volodymyr Kravchenko said the Ukrainian troops had not violated any agreements.
- On September 6, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine confirmed there had been no violations of the ceasefire agreements by the Joint Forces.
- On September 9, participants in the TCG meeting agreed on a joint inspection near Shumy with the participation of a representative of the OSCE coordinator.
- The President's Office said the relevant agreement on the inspection had been reached to refute fake news and prevent new provocations.
