Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, addressed at the meeting of the UN Security Council on the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
In the beginning he mentioned that on this day, 7 years ago, the Ukrainian city of Debaltseve sustained a full-fledged offensive by the Russian regular troops and their proxies. Heavy artillery and rocket shellings did not spare neither Ukrainian military, nor civilians.
“All this happened despite the disengagement line, agreed by Ukraine and Russia under the Minsk Memorandum of 19 September 2014 – the second document in the set of the Minsk Agreements – which clearly defined that Debaltseve is a government-controlled area”, said the Ukraine representative.
“This happened despite the Minsk Package of Measures was signed a week earlier and its first provision contained commitment to comprehensive ceasefire. This is just one example of how Russia violated the agreements almost immediately after signing them. So far disrespect to undertaken commitments remains the hallmark of Russia’s strategy. Only this morning the Ukrainian Stanytsia Luhanska village was shelled with heavy weapons from occupied territory of Donbas. Civilian infrastructure damaged, including kindergarten. Upon the instruction of my Government, I have to bring to the attention of the Security Council another outrageous situation, that undermines the Minsk Agreements and the entire process of peaceful settlement. Two days ago the Russian State Duma appealed to the Russian President to recognize the occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine as so-called “Donetsk and Luhansk peoples’ republics”. This decision runs counter the commitments, undertaken by Russia as a signatory of the Minsk Agreements. Therefore, I requested the Security Council in my letter to the Security Council dated 16 February 2022 to consider this situation today. Our standpoint remains unchanged: Russia’s recognition of the so-called “Donetsk and Luhansk peoples’ republics” will be tantamount to its deliberate withdrawal from the Minsk Agreements. Such a move will cause a serious blow to the politico-diplomatic settlement that Ukraine and its partners have been actively engaged to promote”, declared Kyslytsya.
