Donetsk, Apr 1 - DAN. Kiev acknowledged its non-fulfilment of the ceasefire accords and offered a new truce in Donbass, Donetsk People’s Republic representative at the Minsk talks, DPR Foreign Minister Natalia Nikonorova told the Donetsk News Agency on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, head of the Kiev delegation in the Contact Group Leonid Kravchuk told the Ukraine 24 television channel that Ukraine, at the next round of Donbass peace talks, would insist on concluding a new truce by the Easter holidays.

“Perhaps Mr Kravchuk is not aware, as he was not taking part in the negotiations back then, but the fact is that representatives of Ukraine and the Republics agreed an indefinite ceasefire on July 17, 2019 that became effective on July 22, 2019,” Nikonorova said. “Leonid Makarovich surely remembers the coming into force of the measures to strengthen the ceasefire, because his predecessor, Leonid Kuchma, signed the accord on July 22, 2020, just before Kravchuk’s appointment as chief negotiator.”

Consequently, the parameters and measures needed for the ceasefire that was concluded a year before, were spelled out and finalised eight months ago. The DPR diplomat believes that Ukrainian representatives’ calls for agreeing new ceasefires directly confirm the fact that Ukraine is not observing the current accords. Furthermore, they are trying to roll back the negotiations to the time of temporary ceasefires, concluded ahead of holidays and other dates.

“Agreeing an indefinite ceasefire in July 2019 and signing the additional measures to strengthen it in July 2020 removed this contradiction. Now Mr Kravchuk is offering to bring it back. The Republics observe the ceasefire and the measures to strengthen it. The relevant orders were not only issued but also published on our websites. Our position is honest and open,” Nikiforova added.

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The indefinite and comprehensive ceasefire accords which have been formally in effect since July 2019 ban offensives,  reconnaissance and subversive operations and the deployment of heavy armaments in residential areas, and demand disciplinary measures against the violators. The additional measures have been in force since July 2020. They ban the use of all weapons, deployment of hardware, special operations, engineer works and unmanned aerial vehicles flights. By mid-September, Kiev had practically disavowed the “Additional Measures” rejecting the coordination mechanism for responding to violations.*jk