US, UK Attempt to Change OSCE Mandate in Ukraine - Russia's Envoy to UN

Russian Ambassador to UN Vitaly Churkin said the United States and Britain are trying to change the existing mandate of the OSCE in Ukraine.

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — Some members of the UN Security Council, particularly the United States and Great Britain, are trying to involve the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in tasks that are out of the scope of its existing mandate, Russian Ambassador to UN Vitaly Churkin said Friday.

Commenting on a closed-door meeting of the Council concerning the ceasefire deal in crisis-hit eastern Ukraine, Churkin said Washington and London were trying to revise Minsk agreements and "teach the OSCE what to do."

Heidi Tagliavini, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine, told the UN Security Council on Friday that despite the fighting was subsiding in eastern Ukraine, the situation remained volatile and the county still faced the possibility of a large-scale military conflict.

The armed confrontation in Ukraine's southeast broke out in April 2014, with Kiev attempting to suppress the independence supporters of southeastern regions.

A ceasefire, agreed upon by the warring sides, came into force on February 15. The OSCE is tasked with monitoring the implementation of the truce.

According to the OSCE website, the monitors are mandated to contribute to decreasing tensions and fostering peace and stability in the conflict-torn area. The Monitoring Mission collects information and reports on the security situation.