MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. Kiev refused to fully abide by the ceasefire in Donbass at the recent meeting of political advisors to the leaders of the Normandy Four countries (Russia, Germany, France, Ukraine), Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Executive Office Dmitry Kozak, who represents Moscow at the Normandy Four talks, pointed out in a letter to his counterparts in the group, according to a source in the Russian delegation.
The letter emphasized that Russia, Germany and France were determined to ensure a sustainable ceasefire in Donbass in accordance with the agreements that the Contact Group on resolving the situation in eastern Ukraine had reached on July 22, 2020, the source told TASS. The agreements particularly say that the parties can’t open return fire unless there is a direct order from commanding officers and efforts to resolve the situation through coordination mechanisms fail.
According to the source, the letter adds that Moscow, Berlin and Paris have taken into account Ukraine’s refusal to unconditionally comply with those obligations.
The Russian envoy also noted that Kiev had failed to present any written initiatives at a recent video conference involving the four countries’ political advisors, which would concern the implementation of the Minsk accords and Russian proposals. In this regard, Kozak called on his colleagues to take note of Kiev’s pledge to present a written position by March 19.
He also called for rotating the group’s chairmanship in order to develop the most effective mechanisms.