“We are a bit concerned that while the withdrawal of heavy equipment is currently underway, at least by the independence supporters, the OSCE observers aren’t escorting this process, but they need to monitor and verify the arms withdrawal from the line of contact agreed on in Minsk on February 12,” Lavrov said during a meeting with French Senate leader Gerard Larcher in Moscow.
Lavrov said that the OSCE needs to give instructions to its monitoring mission to oversee the withdrawal of weapons from both sides.
“We are immediately calling on both the OSCE chairman-in-office and the organization’s secretary general to immediately send according instructions to the heads of Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine,” Lavrov said.
The pullout process was to begin no later than on the second day of the ceasefire in the region, that came into force on February 15.
On Tuesday, Donbas independence supporters began unilateral withdrawal of heavy weaponry, pulling out a total of five artillery battalions and an artillery battery, according to the authorities of the self-proclaimed Donestk People's Republic (DPR).
Kiev, however, said that government troops will begin pulling out artillery only when the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine holds for at least 48 hours. Both sides have accused each other of violating the truce in the past two weeks.
