Press Statement of Special Representative Grau after the regular Meeting of Trilateral Contact Group on 28 April 2021

KYIV, 29 April 2021 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Heidi Grau, made the following statement to the press after the regular meetings of the TCG ‎and its Working Groups held through video conferencing:

“The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) continues to record a high level of ceasefire violations.

At the same time, the growing number of restrictions and impediments to the freedom of movement of the OSCE SMM is negatively affecting the implementation of the Mission's mandate. The SMM's UAVs are targeted daily by small arms fire as well as by jamming.

The requirement for compliance with the ceasefire was in the focus of the discussions of the Security Working Group and the TCG. Participants in the meeting reiterated their commitment to it. However – regrettably – no agreement was reached upon a TCG statement on responding to ceasefire violations and their elimination in the future.

With the onset of the warm season and the approaching Easter holidays, I call on the sides to take urgent action as regards demining. According to the SMM, the majority of civilian casualties this year have been caused by mines and unexploded ordnance.

Procedural issues continued to dominate the discussions of the participants in the Political Working Group meeting, preventing progress on developing an action plan in full compliance with the Minsk agreements as tasked by the TCG.

The Humanitarian Working Group focused on removing obstacles to the simultaneous opening of new crossing points near Zolote and Shchastia of the Luhansk region.

Certain aspects related to the mutual release and exchange of conflict-related detainees were also duly considered.

Discussions of the Economic Working Group focused exclusively on water supply issues on both sides of the contact line, particularly in the Donetsk region.”