“…We were, like the others, pleased to hear that during last week’s virtual meeting of the Normandy Format, the foreign ministers discussed the need to ensure full access for the Special Monitoring Mission. It is high time that Russia directed the forces it arms, trains, finances, leads and fights alongside in eastern Ukraine to stop impeding the critical work of the SMM and lay down their weapons.
“The security situation in eastern Ukraine remains dangerous and unpredictable, and there cannot be a secure environment for free and fair elections until Russia and its proxies cease hostilities and withdraw from Ukraine. But instead of taking any real steps toward ending the conflict that it foments and fuels, Moscow remains intent on trying to evade responsibility and cast itself as a mediator in this conflict, rather than the aggressor.
“Instead of engaging in good faith discussions about locations for new disengagement areas and crossing points, Russia is pressuring Ukraine to negotiate directly and exclusively with its proxies, the so-called ‘authorities’ of the ‘people’s republics’ in Russia-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk.
“As long as Russia pretends that it is not a party to this conflict, real progress toward a lasting ceasefire is going to remain elusive. Russia’s stance fools nobody. All of us have seen the media reports over the years detailing the presence of Russian hardware and military forces in eastern Ukraine. On a near weekly basis, further evidence of Russia’s presence in the Donbas is presented in the OSCE’s Forum for Security Cooperation.
“While Russia works to obstruct progress in Normandy Format and the Trilateral Contact Group discussions and on the ground in Ukraine, civilians in eastern Ukraine and Crimea continue to suffer. This week, the Special Monitoring Mission reported a number of civilian casualties, including a 13-year-old boy, previously referred to, and his grandparents, who were injured when their house was hit by shelling, and, as was discussed, a 67-year-old woman killed by gunfire. As always, innocent civilians suffer as a result of Russia’s aggression in eastern Ukraine. …
“At the December 9 Normandy Summit in Paris, Russia committed to a full and comprehensive implementation of the ceasefire by the end of 2019, but violations have continued for months past this target date. It is high time the ceasefire became a reality. …”
– U.S. Ambassador James S. Gilmore III, speaking to the Vienna-based Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on May 7.