“We’re particularly concerned by signs that the Russia-backed separatists are tackling a full-scale initiative against the [Ukrainian] city of Debaltseve in an attempt to obviously gain control of a very significant rail juncture,” Kerry said on Wednesday, stressing that these actions violate the Minsk agreements. “It’s also obvious, because it’s been about 500 mile extension of the so-called line of control, an effort to try to broaden the amount of territory that’s being held from the time that they signed an agreement and agreed to keep the line of control. So, this is a very blatant land grab.”
Clashes between Kiev forces and Donbas independence supporters intensified in the first weeks of 2015, despite a ceasefire agreement reached in September, and a «silence regime» introduced in the region on December 9.
In the wake of the escalated violence in eastern Ukraine, Foreign ministers of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine started a new round of talks on Ukrainian reconciliation on Wednesday.
Kerry called on all the sides of the Ukrainian conflict to end the fighting and implement the Minsk agreements, as well as vowed to continue to pressure Russia.
“I want to make it very clear that the United States continues to strongly support Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” he said. “We condemn all actions that are aimed at undermining that sovereignty, or are trying to gain one advantage or another after the ceasefire for the purpose of negotiating down the road.”
Kerry also noted that the European community decided to hold a line with respect to the sanctions, and continues to send a message that it will not stand with “this kind of violation of the sovereign integrity of a nation.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated Wednesday that Moscow is extremely concerned over the new outbreak of violence in eastern Ukraine.
Lavrov also announced that Poroshenko stated he was ready to discuss a plan for a peaceful settlement of the crisis in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and sent last week.
The authorities of the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics repeatedly stated that Kiev was using truce period to strengthen its forces and prepare for a new offensive.
Last week, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk urged the country’s parliament to cancel the ceasefire, while Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s press service announced that Ukraine was regrouping its military and reinforcing units in «hot spots» in the country’s east.
In a statement published Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on parties involved in the Ukrainian conflict to immediately withdraw heavy artillery from the Donbas and fulfill other obligations they have under the Minsk agreements.
