President of Ukraine

Breakthrough in the Minsk process: TCG agreed on a complete and comprehensive ceasefire on the line of delimitation from July 27

22 July 2020 - 22:11

Today, on July 22, 2020, a regular meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine, Russia, OSCE) took place in the format of a video conference.

According to the adopted decision, starting from 00:01, July 27, 2020 the regime of full and comprehensive ceasefire must be observed.

The breakthrough in the work of the TCG in this direction is the result of the effective efforts of the Ukrainian delegation with the support of our international partners in Berlin and Paris, as well as the work of political advisers and foreign ministers of the countries-members of the Normandy format.

Today, at a meeting of the TCG, the parties, under the mediation of the OSCE, agreed to take measures to enhance the ceasefire regime until a full settlement of the international armed conflict in the Ukrainian Donbas.

Relevant measures were agreed at the TCG meeting by Ukraine and Russia, and supported by the OSCE.

The regime of full and comprehensive ceasefire, if observed by the other party, is a basic precondition for the implementation of the Minsk agreements, which paves the way to the implementation of other provisions of these agreements.

Ukraine has reaffirmed its full willingness to comply with the agreements reached at the December summit in Paris at the level of the leaders of the countries participating in the Normandy format and its commitment to the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

The OSCE SMM will facilitate and support the implementation of these measures.

Within the political group, the parties stressed that a complete and comprehensive ceasefire is a basic precondition for a political settlement. After all, elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are possible only under the following conditions:

⁃ after a comprehensive de-escalation;

⁃ after the withdrawal of foreign military units and equipment, disarmament of illegal armed groups;

⁃ restoration of control by the Government of Ukraine over the Ukrainian-Russian border;

⁃ elections must be held exclusively in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine;

⁃ elections must be held in accordance with OSCE Copenhagen standards.

Within the humanitarian group, the Ukrainian party, as agreed, handed over the lists of persons for mutual release and expects the same from the other party.