Donetsk, Dec 28 - DAN. Kiev’s proposal to hold an extraordinary video conference of the security subgroup causes bewilderment, Donetsk People’s Republic representative at the Minsk talks, DPR Foreign Minister Natalia Nikonorova said on Tuesday.
On Monday, the Republic was notified by security subgroup coordinator (OSCE SMM head Yasar Cevic - eds Donetsk News Agency) that Ukraine had brought forward the proposal to hold an extraordinary session of the subgroup on December 28 to discuss certain statements concerning the worsening security situation since the Contact Group meeting on December 22, 2021.
“We found this initiative bewildering, to put it mildly,” Nikonorova said. “We’ve observed relative quiet on the contact lince since the Contact Group’s meeting, with occasional strikes by Ukraine; one of them resulted in dire consequences as a resident of the Alexandrovka settlement in our territory was wounded on December 23, which happened less than a day after the publication of Ukraine’ statement alleging its commitment to the ceasefire.”
The DPR representatives have not received new proposals from Ukraine on verification of ceasefire violations, she said.
“We again have to interpret the Ukrainian representatives’ proposal as a purposeful imitation of their peace-making activity. We remain confident that holding a meeting without a middle course version of the document is inexpedient. Furthermore, such odd actions by Ukraine, to put it mildly, make one suspicious that they might be covering the preparation for military provocations on the contact line,” the DPR foreign minister said.
The package of tighter ceasefire control measures has been formally in effect in Donbass since July 27, 2020. The document bans the use of any weapons, deployment of heavy armaments in and around settlements, engineer works and unmanned aerial vehicle flights.*jk