German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is anxious about new outbreaks of violence in Ukraine and warns of further escalation of the conflict.
"The situation in the Eastern Ukraine is explosive," Steinmeier told Bild am Sonntag. "If both parties do not start to build on the peace process soon, a new military escalation could be triggered."
During talks with the Ukrainian and the Russian Foreign Minister, Steinmeier suggested that "the military of the warring parties and the OSCE should come together […] as soon as possible to discuss possible ways of the situation’s de-escalation and the withdrawal of weapons."
Armed clashes in the past 24 hours claimed lives of at least four civilians, with 23 others being injured, the news agency DPA reported, referring to a number of Ukrainian and Russian reports.
Earlier, Kiev authorities accused the Donbass militias of violating the truce by carrying out artillery attacks near the city of Mariupol. Donbass forces claimed their non-involvement.
