One outcome of the Trilateral Contact Group (Russia, Kiev, and Donbas reps, meeting under the OSCE) conferring in Minsk on Dec. 22 was an agreement to implement the ceasefire first agreed on in July of 2020. “Many months of our efforts to return to full compliance with the ceasefire have borne fruit. During today’s meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group, all parties expressed their determination to comply with the agreement of July 22, 2020 on measures to strengthen the ceasefire,” Andriy Yermak, the head of the President’s Office in Kiev, said yesterday. He called the ceasefire a step towards de-escalation in the Donbas. “We hope that this time the ceasefire will be sustainable and will save the lives of defenders of Ukraine and civilians. The upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays should be peaceful. May the silence finally reign in Donbas,” Yermak said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said yesterday that Moscow hopes that “Kiev will observe its liabilities on ensuring the lasting ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.” She said that while Donetsk and Luhansk have been observing the ceasefire since its inception, the Kiev side has not and has been continuing to shell the Donbas.
