EU Informed of 'Incomplete' Heavy Arms Pullout in Ukraine - Latvian FM

Latvian foreign minister said at a press conference following the second day of informal meetings among EU foreign ministers that the EU had received information on the withdrawal of heavy weaponry carried out by Kiev and independence supporters.

RIGA (Sputnik) — The European Union has been informed of the heavy arms pullout by both sides of the Ukrainian conflict, but the process is unfinished yet, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said Saturday.

Rinkevics said at a press conference following the second day of informal meetings among EU foreign ministers that the EU has received information on the withdrawal of weaponry carried out by both the Ukrainian army and independence supporters.

However, the Latvian diplomat noted the withdrawal outlined in the latest Minsk agreement is incomplete.

The pullout of large-caliber weapons from the line of contact in southeast Ukraine is part of 13 measures toward the Ukrainian reconciliation, collectively referred to as the Minsk deal, signed by the sides of the Ukrainian conflict to the nearly year-long conflict on February 12.

March 1, two weeks after a ceasefire came into force in eastern Ukraine, marked the deadline for the withdrawal of heavy arms set out by the Minsk deal. Independence forces claim they met the deadline by completing the process on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Kiev-led forces still have not finished the withdrawal from the front lines in the country's east.

The conflict in southeastern Ukraine dates back to April 2014, when Kiev launched a military campaign against independence supporters in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. The United Nations estimates that over 6,000 civilians have died in ongoing battles.