A full and unconditional silence mode in Donbas starting from today and expected to continue throughout New Year's holidays has been achieved at yesterday’s meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine. The five-hour talks were the last in the outgoing year. OSCE Special Representative Martin Sajdik noted improvements in the security sphere, reduction in the number of civilian casualties and the release of prisoners. Nevertheless, the Contact Group is concerned about the unstable situation in eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian side has thanked Belarus for organising the work of the Trilateral Contact Group, as reported by Darko Olifer, the Press Secretary of Ukraine’s representative Leonid Kuchma.
The deadline of the Minsk Agreements will expire on 31 December, and it is still unclear whether it will be extended. According to Martin Sajdik, the Contact Group will continue working in 2016. Its next meeting is expected to take place on 13 January.
