On Tuesday 12 February, the fifth anniversary of the conflict in Ukraine, the five EU Member States that are also members of the United Nations Security Council (France, Germany, Poland, Belgium and the United Kingdom), and the three former members of the Security Council (Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden), called for full implementation of the Minsk agreements.
“We remain convinced that a peaceful resolution of the conflict is possible and call on all sides to swiftly and fully implement the Minsk agreements and honour their commitments in full in order to achieve a sustainable political solution to the conflict”, they stressed in a joint statement issued after discussion at the UN. In their view, the role of the OSCE is “crucial” in this respect, whether as part of the trilateral contact group or as part of the Special Monitoring Mission. They therefore condemn the threats and restrictions that continue to hamper the Special Mission, calling for safe, secure, unconditional and unimpeded access throughout Ukraine.
The European States also call on Russia to “immediately stop fuelling the conflict by providing financial and military support" to the separatists, and are "deeply concerned about information of the presence of Russian military equipment and personnel” in areas currently not under control of the government of Ukraine.
The eight States also express their concerns about the humanitarian situation. 3.5 million people depend on humanitarian assistance. "Weurge all parties to the conflict to re-establish full access for all international humanitarian organisations to the non-government controlled areas and to allow smooth and speedy delivery of humanitarian assistance in line with humanitarian principles and International Humanitarian Law”, added the European States. 12,800 people, including 3,300 civilians, have died in the Donbass since April 2014, including 30 in January 2019. Ukraine has become the area with the third largest number of mines in the world, after Iraq and Afghanistan.
Aware of the pressures exerted by the conflict on “the fledgling Ukrainian democracy and its economy”, the European States call on the government to continue with its reforms, adding that they would continue to support it.
The situation in Ukraine will be discussed at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday 18 February. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)