Ukraine Contact Group Will Discuss Ceasefire At Minsk

Representatives of the Contact Group on the Ukraine crisis, meeting in the Belarusian capital Minsk on Wednesday, will discuss all aspects of ceasefire agreements reached in February, said Darya Olifer, spokeswoman for former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, who represents Kiev at peace talks aimed at easing the conflict in the country’s east.

“Implementation of all components of the Minsk deal is on the agenda,” Olifer wrote on her Facebook page on Wednesday, adding that the Contact Group meeting would be preceded by negotiations between representatives of four working subgroups formed as part of the Contact Group.

The Trilateral Contact Group comprising senior representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on February 12, 2015, signed a 13-point Complex of Measures to fulfil the September 2014 Minsk agreements.

The Complex of Measures (Minsk-2), earlier agreed in the Belarusian capital with leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France, envisaged a ceasefire between Ukrainian government forces and people’s militias starting from February 15.

Based on September’s stillborn Minsk peace protocol, the deal also laid out a road map for a lasting settlement in Ukraine, including local elections and constitutional reform to give the war-torn eastern regions more autonomy.

Among the terms of the February 12 deal was a commitment to intensify the work of the Contact Group. Four subgroups, tasked with addressing security, political, economic and humanitarian issues, are expected to advance work by the Contact Group in activating elements of the Minsk deal.