UN Security Council discussing non-fulfilment of Minsk agreements — Russian mission

A Russia-initiated session is being held behind closed doors

UNITED NATIONS, March 19. /TASS/. The United Nations Security Council is discussing non-fulfillment of the complex of measures to implement the Minsk agreements, Russia’s mission at the United Nations said on Thursday.

“The United Nations Security Council is holding a Russia-initiated session behind closed doors to discuss non-fulfillment of the complex of measures to implement the Minsk agreements of February 12,” Alexey Zaitsev, a spokesman for the Russian mission, said.

Recently repeated Kiev’s statements concerning the introduction of an international peacekeeping mission in the east of Ukraine contradict Minsk agreements on the conflict settlement, Russian UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day Ukraine’s mission to the EU officially handed over a letter to Brussels requesting that the Council of the European Union should consider deploying peacekeepers to the country’s east. According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the mission requested that Europeans should “properly consider this issue and launch consultations on the start of the EU operation as part of common security and defense policy.”

“There was not a word mentioned by the Ukrainian side about a peacekeeping operation during the 17-hour talks in Minsk between the Normandy Four leaders,” Churkin said. “Everyone proceeded from the stance in favor of the continued OSCE mission’s work.”