Results of the security working subgroup’s meeting within the Contact Group talks

The working subgroup on security held a meeting via videoconferencing on May 13, it began at 14:00 and lasted 5 hours, the DPR Representative Office to JCCC and negotiation process reports.

The agenda included the matters of ceasefire, approval of new areas for further withdrawal of forces and weapons, as well as the wording of the draft supplement to the Framework Decision.

DPR official representative to the subgroup for security Alexey Nikonorov noted that yesterday’s meeting had not been constructive again.

“Despite the fact that the Ukrainian delegation reshuffled their composition having appointed the new chief, Deputy Defense Minister Mr. Polischuk, they could not generate anything new in the work of the subgroup. Demagoguery and politicization of practical issues traditional for Kiev officials did not allow the participants in the talks to discuss any important issue on the agenda in substance.

Thus, the Ukrainian delegates were not ready to discuss the consolidated version of the supplement to the Framework Decision updated by the OSCE SMM, justifying their unpreparedness by the fact that the coordinator, who sent this document, had not given clear guidelines for its implementation.

There have not been any new disengagement areas decided, although the parties long ago shared their proposals and positions on all the locations under discussion, and there are a number of areas that the parties do not object, which allows taking appropriate decisions, but the Ukrainian negotiators instead tried to backtrack the progress reached,” Alexey Nikonorov summed up.

In addition, the official representative of the Republic noted that there had been not only an intense escalation along the entire line of contact, but also a sharp increase in casualties and destruction because of AFU fire.

“We do not see any signs that the Ukrainian party is ready to fulfill its ceasefire commitments. 156 ceasefire violations have been recorded since May 1 to the present.

The number of casualties, amount of damage and destruction in May 2020 shows a significant increase in ceasefire violations relative to April. The statistics shows that every alternate violation, and on some days, in particular May 12, each violation led to civilian casualties, damage to houses and infrastructure in the Republic, which indicates that the armed groups of Ukraine deliberately targeted residential areas in the DPR,” Nikonorov stated.