U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt says that the United States believes that the implementation of the Minsk peace agreements and the support of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine are the best ways to resolve the Donbas conflict in Ukraine's east.
“The best way to resolve the conflict in the east is to implement the Minsk agreements and ensure full support for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. That is our focus,” Pyatt told Interfax-Ukraine in an exclusive interview.
Describing the situation in Donbas, Pyatt said that there is no full ceasefire there. “There’s still shelling. There are still skirmishes with Ukrainian soldiers and civilians killed or injured almost every day. Last week saw the highest number of ceasefire violations in six months,” he said.
In his words, the first challenge is to establish security so the parties can get on to the other parts of Minsk, including moving forward on elections under Ukrainian law that meet OSCE standards so that the people of Donbas can select their own, legitimate leaders.
“We need to see hostages released, foreign military equipment and personnel leave and Ukrainian control of its international border restored,” he said.
