The trilateral contact group (TCG) on the peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas agreed on a new ceasefire mechanism.
It was announced on June 5, by the head of the TCG Ukrainian delegation Leonid Kuchma in Minsk, the press service of the President of Ukraine reported.
According to Kuchma, for the first time the working group meetings within the TCG have been constructive.
“For the first time, the meetings of the working groups were constructive. All parties wanted to find a solution. The tone of the discussion was quite different than it was before. We came with a road map from the President of Ukraine. The messages prove the head of the state really wants peace in this region. It seems to me everyone has heard that both Ukrainian and the opposite side want to find a solution”, noted Kuchma.
According to the head of the Ukrainian delegation in the TCG, the exchange of prisoners of war was also discussed at the meetings.
“I cannot say that tomorrow these issues will be fundamentally solved. But I am fully aware of the fact that it is the beginning of the process. The issue regarding our seamen has been also raised”, Kuchma stressed.
It is also noted that the TCG has discussed some security issues. In particular, the parties agreed to declare a silence regime in Stanitsa Luganskaia from June 10.
At the same time, Kuchma expressed hope for certain progress in solving the problem of water supply in the occupied Donbas, as a result of the TCG meeting.
Simultaneously, according to TASS, the issue of lifting the economic blockade in Donbas will be considered at the next TCG meeting on Kuchma’s proposal, as it was announced by special envoy of the OSCE head, Martin Saidik in Minsk.
“This proposal was made by Leonid Kuchma and it was supported by representatives of certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions. The given issue will be submitted for consideration to the economic subgroup next time”, the OSCE Special Representative noted.
Saidik believes that imposition of blockade in Donbas in March 2017 by the leadership of Ukraine “worked exclusively for breaking relations between the parties to the conflict.”
“So at the moment we have to work in the opposite direction. Lifting the blockade would be a big progress”, he noted.
In turn, Russia’s representative in the TCG, Borys Gryzlov, said the economic subgroup had been already “instructed to discuss the issue of restoring economic ties in case Kyiv decides to lift the economic blockade of Donbas”.
As The Journalist reported, Zelensky appointed Kuchma as the presidential representative in the TCG in Minsk.
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