State Department Expresses Concern Over Spike in Violence in Eastern Ukraine

The United States is concerned over the increased violence in eastern Ukraine, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — According to Kirby, six Ukrainian troops have been killed recently amid the harshest spike in violence since 2015.

"The United State is deeply concerned with a recent spike of violence in eastern Ukraine. Over just the last two days six Ukrainian service members have been killed, 33 wounded in a Russian attempt to cease additional Ukrainian territory, the highest two day casualty figure we have seen since June of 2015," Kirby said.

The eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have been in turmoil since April 2014, when authorities in Kiev launched a military operation against Donbas militia.

In February 2015, the two sides agreed to a ceasefire after talks brokered by the leaders of Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine – the so-called Normandy Format – in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.

Both sides in the conflict, however, have consistently accused each other of violating the ceasefire terms.