OSCE Report Says Ceasefire in Donbas Observed Except for Debaltseve

VIENNA, (Sputnik) — Head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine Ertugrul Apakan and OSCE negotiator at the Contact Group talks Heidi Taliavini in their latest report said that the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine is generally observed, with the exception of Debaltsevo area, Russia’s envoy to the OSCE Andrei Kelin told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

“The report by Apakan and Takiavini confirmed that the ceasefire is still observed quite well. There is one exception – the Debaltsevo area. Otherwise, the mission has positive reviews of the situation there,” Kelin said.

Kelin added also that the independence supporters allowed OSCE monitors access to Horlivka and Krasnodonsk. However, no safe transfer of the monitoring mission to Debaltsevo could be ensured.

In his interview with Rossiya-24 TV, Kelin said that if the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine is observed, deployment of peacekeepers to Donbas will not be necessary.

The ceasefire in southeastern Ukraine came into force on February 15. The peace deal was worked out by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France on February 12 in Minsk.

The deal was then signed by representatives from Kiev, Donetsk and Luhansk, Moscow and the OSCE. Truce violations have been reported since then, but the OSCE said the ceasefire was generally holding.