BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The recent escalation of conflict in eastern Ukraine violates the Minsk agreements and threatens the work of the OSCE special monitoring mission in the crisis-hit country, a statement attributed to the spokesperson for the European External Action Service said Tuesday.
"The renewed escalation of the conflict raising the number of casualties, as a result of attacks on several government controlled areas today and in the night of 10 August on Starohnativka, violates the spirit and the letter of the Minsk Agreements," the statement said.
"Equally, all recent incidents targeted at the OSCE SMM…put in danger the crucial role that the SMM plays in monitoring and verifying the implementation of the Minsk agreements, which is the basis for a sustainable solution of the conflict in full respect of Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity," the document said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on Ukraine to exercise restraint in light of renewed violence along the ceasefire line and urged Kiev to temper its "militant rhetoric" in violation of the Minsk process.
In its statement, the European External Action Service urged "good faith" compliance with the Minsk ceasefire deal and the withdrawal of heavy arms from the line of contact.
Ukraine has been mired in an internal conflict since 2014, when Kiev launched a military operation against militias in Donbass.
