The United States welcomes yesterday’s OSCE announcement regarding the “strong determination” of Ukrainian government forces and Russia-led forces in eastern Ukraine to fully adhere to the Measures to Strengthen the Ceasefire agreement of July 22, 2020. We hope the resultant peace will create the diplomatic space necessary to de-escalate regional tensions and provide a positive atmosphere for further discussion. We applaud the efforts of the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and the Trilateral Contact Group and urge the ceasefire parties to fully adhere to their commitments for the shared security of people living in the area.
As the United States has made clear, the conflict in eastern Ukraine can be resolved only in an environment of de-escalation, such as yesterday’s announced ceasefire. We stand ready to help facilitate the implementation of the Minsk agreements, in support of the OSCE and the Normandy process. We continue to call on the Russian government to fulfill its Minsk agreement commitments to pull back forces and weapons from the Line of Contact in eastern Ukraine, as well as to pull back the forces it has amassed along Ukraine’s borders and end its aggressive and threatening rhetoric.
