Ukraine’s president Petro Poroshenko said on Friday the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine — the “Normandy Quartet” — have agreed on deploying an OSCE police mission to Ukraine’s eastern r
ADVERTISEMENTUkraine’s president Petro Poroshenko said on Friday the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine — the “Normandy Quartet” — have agreed on deploying an OSCE police mission to Ukraine’s eastern region of Donbass.
He was speaking in Kyiv a day after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there had been no such agreement.
“Today, we have made a big diplomatic breakthrough. A common agreement on the OSCE police mission deployment was made not only at the highest level of the ‘Normandy Quartet’ , but also in Vienna, at the OSCE, under the German chairmanship,” Poroshenko told reporters. “Our German partners have already launched a discussion on deployment of the police mission.”
The OSCE’s monitors in Ukraine often work in a dangerous security conditions.
Political expert Mykola Davidyuk spoke to Euronews.
“The missions working in the conflict zone can’t access to all locations they need to monitor. OSCE observers have come under attack. Elections can’t take place in Donbas. It’s not a territory of freedom,” said Davidyuk.
The Normandy Quartet was created in 2014 to secure a peaceful settlement to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Euronews reporter Maria Korenyuk is in Kyiv.
“Elections in Donbas may be held only after Ukraine’s demands are met on security in the conflict zone,” reported Korenyuk. “President Poroshenko insists on taking control over Russian-Ukrainian border and establishing special observation posts with international forces. In any case, Kyiv will consider elections to be illegitimate.”