- Due to the escalating situation in eastern Ukraine, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is calling a special meeting for Monday.
- French President Emmanuel Macron and Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone call to maintain diplomacy in the Ukraine crisis.
- Despite other announcements so far, Russia and Belarus want to continue their joint military exercises beyond Sunday.
According to the Kremlin, Macron and Putin agreed in almost two-hour talks to “intensify the search for solutions through diplomatic channels via the foreign ministries and political advisers” – in the Normandy format with representatives of Russia and Ukraine under Franco-German moderation.
This should ensure that the ceasefire is observed again and “progress in resolving the conflict” is achieved.
Macron in action as a crisis mediator
According to the Kremlin statement, both presidents expressed serious concern about the “dramatic deterioration of the situation” along the front line between Ukrainian government troops and Moscow-backed separatists. Putin once again criticized the West’s military support for Ukraine.
French President Macron now wants to seek talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy again. There was already a phone call with the two on Saturday evening: Selenski is said to have assured that he would not react to provocations by Moscow-loyal separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Joint military exercises continue
Meanwhile, Putin is pursuing his own agenda. According to the Belarusian defense minister, Russia and Belarus are extending their joint military exercises. This, although the end of Sunday had been announced in advance.
Legend:
Tanks on Belarusian soil during a joint military exercise between the two states of Russia and Belarus.
key stone
In the West, there are fears that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine as part of the exercise in Belarus. The military leaders, on the other hand, repeatedly emphasize that the troop deployment is purely for exercise purposes.
According to Western sources, Russia has gathered around 150,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine.
OSCE reports over 1,500 ceasefire violations
Meanwhile, there were new attacks in the conflict area in eastern Ukraine on Sunday night. The military had already spoken of two soldiers killed on Saturday.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, at least two pumping stations in the Donetsk region have failed as a result of shelling. These supplied more than a million people with drinking water.
According to international observers, the number of ceasefire violations is rising massively. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) announced on Sunday night that 975 violations had been detected in the Luhansk region, including 860 explosions.
Legend:
A Ukrainian soldier sits at an observation post near the border village of Krymske in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk region. The picture was taken on February 19.
key stone
591 violations were reported for the Donetsk region, including 535 explosions. These figures referred to the situation on Friday. the OSCE plans to hold a special session on Monday.
The peace plan is not implemented
In the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, government troops equipped by the West have been fighting Russian-backed separatists since 2014. According to UN estimates, more than 14,000 people have already been killed, mostly in the separatist area. A peace plan from 2015 mediated by Franco-German mediation is not implemented.