Moscow - France insists on resuming a ceasefire in Ukraine, French Ambassador to Russia Jean-Maurice Ripert said.
Speaking to Interfax on Tuesday, Ripert said the government of France, as well as the governments of Germany and other European countries, is putting pressure on Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to reinstate the ceasefire.
Ripert insisted that the ceasefire in Ukraine should be observed.
The French Foreign Ministry has expressed its regret about Poroshenko’s decision to end the ceasefire, he said.
At the same time, the French ambassador said Poroshenko’s decision is understandable, as it is hard to dispute a state’s right to believe that, if the border is open is not under its control, there are reasons to suspect that weapons would be shipped across this border to insurgents.
Ripert also supported Russia’s proposal on inviting OSCE observers to monitor the ceasefire and the Russian section of the border.
Ripert called Russia’s proposal a very positive step. The OSCE will monitor the border to make sure that it is closed on both sides, and there are no disagreements with Russia on this, he said.
Ripert said also that his country and other European countries hope that their Russian partners would put pressure on the insurgent forces so that they lay down their arms and stop resisting the Ukrainian army.
