The Christmas truce agreed by the parties to the conflict in eastern Ukraine is to be complete and lasting. Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that this reaffirmation of commitment to the Minsk agreements was "an important sign".
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On Wednesday (21 December 2016) Ukraine and Russia reaffirmed their commitment to the cessation of hostilities agreed in February 2015. As of 24 December all hostilities are to cease along the line of contact in eastern Ukraine. Recently there have been repeated skirmishes around the town of Debaltseve.
The Christmas truce could bring some relief to the people in eastern Ukraine, given their precarious humanitarian situation, said Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Further steps must follow, he declared. "The swift disengagement of troops, the withdrawal of heavy weapons, and ensuring unhindered access by the OSCE Special Monitoring mission to the entire conflict area."
Agreement was reached at a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group. Since June 2014 representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE have met regularly under the aegis of this group. The aim is to negotiate concrete steps to implement the Minsk agreements. The negotiations of the Trilateral Contact Group are flanked at political level by Normandy format meetings. At one such meeting on 11/12 February 2015, Chancellor Angela Merkel, President François Hollande, President Vladimir Putin and President Petro Poroshenko reaffirmed and detailed their commitment to the Minsk agreements of September 2014.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier also called on all sided to make progress with the agreed exchange of prisoners before the end of the year, "particularly as regards the weakest detainees". On Friday last week (16 December) Ukraine announced that it would release 15 detained separatists as a "unilateral gesture before Christmas".
Federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert welcomed this announcement by Ukraine, and expressed his hope that the other side would do likewise. "As you know, there are still hundreds of people being held on both sides as a result of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, in the Donbas. We hope that this step will now be followed swiftly by others."
It would be particularly desirable for the Russian-supported separatists to release their prisoners too before the end of the year, said Steffen Seibert. It ought to be recalled that the Minsk package of measures specifically provides for an exchange of prisoners on the principle of "all prisoners for all prisoners".
Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande reported on the situation in Ukraine and on the implementation of the Minsk agreements at the European Council meeting on 15 December. "We unfortunately had to report that progress is sluggish, but that this is the only basis we have," said Angela Merkel.
Regrettably, progress has not been such that it was possible to scale back sanctions on Russia. The EU member states have now agreed at political level to extend these sanctions for another six months, reported the Chancellor in Brussels. "And that will take place within the framework of the relevant technical process."