KYIV. April 6 (Interfax) - Ukraine has demanded that Russia provide for immediate ceasefire in the Donbas conflict zone and allow unhindered access to the breakaway Ukrainian territories for representatives from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) and international humanitarian organization.
"We demand that Russia heed the call by the UN Secretary General and the position of the European Union by ensuring an immediate ceasefire in the conflict zone in Donbas and unhindered access to Ukraine's temporarily occupied territory for representatives from the OSCE SMM and international humanitarian organizations," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a statement.
The document was published on the website of the Foreign Ministry on Monday in light of a declaration by the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell regarding the UN secretary general's call for immediate ceasefire due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ukraine joins its European partners in calling for global solidarity and international cooperation aimed at fighting the coronavirus pandemic and helping the most vulnerable social groups, including in armed conflict zones, Kuleba said. Ukraine supports calls for immediate ceasefire, complete reconciliation, and the consolidation of efforts at peaceful conflict settlement, he said.
"We are certain that the imposed sanctions are no impediment to providing the civilian population of the conflict zones with humanitarian aid and medical services. Ukraine, being an object of the continuing Russian armed aggression, is fully committed to its obligations under the Minsk agreements on ceasefire in the Donbas conflict zone," the statement reads.