“…We commend the sides for the disengagement of forces at Stanytsia Luhanska that began on June 26, as forces pull out of the zone and undertake demining activities. And we encourage the sides to use this success to make progress on full disengagement at the two other sites that were designated.
“Despite this positive development, fighting in eastern Ukraine remains volatile and deadly. For over five years, Russia has armed, trained, led and fought alongside its proxy forces in eastern Ukraine. The result – some 13,000 people have been killed as a result of Moscow’s ongoing aggression.
“The only way to end this conflict is through the implementation of the Minsk agreements. This entails Russia withdrawing its heavy weapons, removing its forces and disarming its proxy forces in eastern Ukraine. Only when Russia takes concrete steps to de-escalate its armed attacks on Ukraine can there be significant progress towards a sustainable ceasefire. The core principles of the Helsinki Final Act that are the foundation of this organization are respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, as well as human rights and fundamental freedoms. These tenets are enduring, as is the OSCE. The contempt that Russia demonstrates for these principles and commitments – through repression at home and aggression abroad – should concern all of us. I call on Russia to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.…
“The Special Monitoring Mission serves as the world’s eyes and ears in eastern Ukraine, performing crucial tasks under difficult and often dangerous circumstances. Our monitors face near-daily restrictions in carrying out their duties. Again this week, forces outside government-controlled areas denied monitors access to checkpoints and other key areas. …On multiple occasions UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] have spotted military convoys crossing into Ukraine from Russia on roads far from the OSCE Border Observation Mission. This week the mission again reported several instances of small-arms fire and jamming targeted at UAV assets, with several lost in recent weeks and another long-range UAV lost in late June. …
“The United States fully supports Ukrainian sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial waters. We do not, nor will we ever, recognize Russia’s purported annexation of Crimea. This clear violation of the principles of the Helsinki Final Act is not legitimate. Also, I don’t see how this disruption of the Russian-American relationship is good for Russia, for the United States, or for any OSCE country. We join our European and other partners in affirming that our Minsk-related sanctions against Russia will remain in place until Russia fully implements its Minsk commitments. The separate, Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns full control of the peninsula to Ukraine in its sovereign ability.”
– Statement to the OSCE Permanent Council delivered by the new U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, James Gilmore, a former governor of Virginia. The statement was delivered in Vienna on July 11.