Progress seen in ceasefire talks in Donbas – Ukraine National Security Council

KYIV. Sept 28 (Interfax) – The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council said progress has been made in talks with the militia on ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

A joint group, comprised of representatives of the Ukrainian military, the militia and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, are assessing the situation and holding talks to create conditions for implementing the ceasefire agreements, National Security and Define Council spokesman Andriy Lysenko said at a press briefing on Sunday.

Rossiya 1 television reported on Saturday that Ukrainian officers, militia commanders and OSCE observers met in Horlivka in Donetsk region on Saturday to discuss thorough implementation of the Minsk Memorandum.

The agenda included the withdrawal of the Ukrainian military from the Donetsk airport. It was agreed, as negotiated in Minsk on September 5, to remove heavy weapons from the frontline, the television channel said.

But no new agreements were signed after the talks that had lasted for many hours, it said.

Alexander Lentsov, deputy commander of the Russian Land Forces, who observed the talks, said, “there are issues on which understanding was reached.” “But there are problems, as well, and we will deal with them as preparations continue for the fulfillment of the Memorandum. However, ceasefire is the main goal. Both sides must understand this,” he told Rossiya 1.

The Russian Foreign Ministry denied reports on Friday that Russian and Ukrainian military representatives had met to define a buffer zone between the positions of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics, and the Ukrainian military.

Media reports claiming that such a meeting is allegedly taking place in the Donetsk region are untrue, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary posted on its website.

“All aspects of the implementation of the ceasefire regime are being discussed by representatives of the Ukrainian side and individual districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Russia’s role as a member of the contact group is to facilitate this process in cooperation with the OSCE mission,” the Foreign Ministry said.