Merkel: Ceasefire Not Fully Being Observed by Both Sides in East Ukraine

The ceasefire in eastern Ukraine is not being fully observed by both sides of the conflict, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Answering a question on the implementation of the Minsk agreements in eastern Ukraine, the German leader said:

“This process is very complex. We hoped that a ceasefire would be reached. Unfortunately, this hasn’t happened.”

She said that reports were received every day from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe that objectively described why the ceasefire was not being observed.

“We can’t say that one side is fulfilling [the obligations] by 100 percent and the other side isn’t doing anything, but we do have information that there are many violations of the ceasefire from the separatists' side [Donbass pro-independence forces] too,” Merkel added.

The Minsk deal is a base aimed to find a peaceful solution to the situation in Ukraine, Angela Merkel said.

“We have assured each other that the Minsk complex of measures is all we have, it’s our base to attempt to find a peaceful solution [to the Ukrainian crisis]. We cannot yet say exactly that it will be successful, but we don’t have anything else so we must continue working in this direction.”

Elections in Donbass

"We have four working groups, where we are talking about economy, humanitarian issues, social issues and local elections [in eastern Ukraine]. Holding of local elections [in Donbass] should lead to attaining full control [by Kiev] over the [Russian-Ukrainian] border."

"I am ready, I think the same could be said on behalf of [French President] Francois Hollande, to continue working in this direction. Today, I also felt Russia is ready [to work] too," Merkel said.