Moscow expects idea to stop firing in Donbas by Sept 1 to be put into practice - Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW. Aug 27 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry welcomes the call for declaring a real ceasefire in Donbas by September 1 and expects it to be observed, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
"A very positive proposal was made in Minsk yesterday, namely, that the parties declare a real ceasefire and refrain from any shelling by September 1, the day when a new academic year begins, so as not to cloud this special day for children and their families. We do expect that this idea and this proposal will be put into practice," Zakharova said at a news briefing in Moscow on Thursday.
Talking about the situation in southeastern Ukraine, Zakharova said it remains complicated.
"Violations have been recorded regarding the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of contact between the conflicting parties. The concentration of Ukrainian armed forces has been observed in certain districts adjacent to the line of contact," she said.
This "certainly is not conducive to confidence building and poses the threat that the situation could worsen," she said.
"Discussions on political issues are not going smoothly, and there remain significant disagreements on practical ways to implement the Package of Measures provisions regarding constitutional reform in Ukraine," Zakharova said.