Military violence in eastern Ukraine has increased dramatically within the last few days. The German government supports the calls of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to observe a truce over the Orthodox Easter celebrations, declared federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert.
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As government spokesperson Steffen Seibert explained at the government press conference on Friday, the German government supports the call of Ertugul Apakan , Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, and Martin Sajdik, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine, that the weapons in eastern Ukraine be silenced during the Orthodox Eastern celebrations.
"This truce with the separatists would be a very important step in the right direction, following the escalation of armed hostilities over the last few days, that have resulted in many casualties, including many civilian casualties," stressed the government spokesperson.
The German government has advocated that everything be done to ensure that a possible truce over Easter is followed by a permanent ceasefire, added Steffen Seibert.
The ceasefire is an integral part of the Minsk package of measures to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, that was agreed in February 2015. The withdrawal of heavy weapons from the demarcation line is also part of the agreement.
A truce of this sort would be a great relief to the people of the region, said Steffen Seibert. "And it would create the secure conditions needed for the Ukrainian parliament to push ahead with the peace process – which means holding local elections and amending the constitution to provide for greater decentralisation."
The four members of the Normandy group (Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany) have agreed to call jointly for a truce. The Federal Foreign Office spokesperson announced that another meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of the Normandy group will be held in the foreseeable future.