MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. The Ukrainian authorities are reluctant to take political steps to resolve the situation in Donbass, keeping tensions high, Russian Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Alexander Lukashevich said at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on Thursday. His address was published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.

The diplomat emphasized that "Kiev has been stubbornly preventing the Contact Group from resuming in-person meetings in Minsk." "Meanwhile, all other members of the Contact Group support the resumption of their activities in Minsk," he added. "With no progress in political affairs, Kiev is keeping tensions in Donbass high, refusing to develop practical mechanisms to ensure the implementation of agreements made on July 22, 2020," the Russian envoy went on to say.

In particular, Lukashevich pointed to the lack of progress in the development of a coordination mechanism to respond to ceasefire violations with the assistance of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination involving representatives of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and armed units from certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. According to the Russian envoy, this is why the situation remains tense though measures aimed at ensuring the ceasefire are in effect. "Although the number of ceasefire violations slightly dropped in the past week, it still exceeds 600 incidents, including over 80 explosions. There is a long way to go to a complete ceasefire," the diplomat stressed.