On Tuesday 31 January, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) called for the fighting in eastern Ukraine to be stopped "immediately".
"The intense fighting around Avdiivka in the last few days, involving heavy shelling with proscribed weapons and leading to a considerable number of casualties, is a blatant violation of the ceasefire, as stipulated by the Minsk agreements", the EEAS spokesperson stated in a press release, adding that the fighting was putting civilian inhabitants at grave risk and causing major disruptions in the provision of basic utility services to the local communities. A halt to the fighting "would also allow for the urgent repair of critical infrastructures", the spokesperson said. Since Sunday 29 January, the fighting has led to the deaths of around a dozen people, several of them civilians, near the city of Avdiivka, 10 km north of Donetsk.
"Full observance of the ceasefire is a crucial step towards the full implementation of the Minsk agreements, which is the basis for a peaceful and sustainable resolution of the conflict, respecting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity", the EEAS spokesperson stated, adding that the OSCE special monitoring mission must be granted full and unrestricted access to all conflict-affected areas.
Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said he was "deeply concerned by news from Donbas and reports of heavy fighting, resulting in the loss of lives and a worsening humanitarian situation". He called on all sides to stop hostilities immediately and to respect the ceasefire as defined in the Minsk agreement. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)