Battle persists in Ukraine, despite ceasefire
February 16, 2015
Speaking by phone on Monday evening, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Holland and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko expressed concern over the continued fighting at Debaltseve.
They also "expressed the wish that the OSCE observers have a free access to continue their work on the ground," a French official told the Associated Press, speaking anonymously because they were not allowed to speak publicly.
Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), who are supposed to monitor the European-brokered ceasefire, said Sunday that separatists had denied them access to the railway hub Debaltseve.
Elsewhere on Monday, the ceasefire appeared to be holding. The city hall of the rebel capital Donetsk, heavily shelled during the last week, said Monday that there had been no fighting in the area.
Situation is 'fragile': Merkel
Both pro-Russia separatists and the Ukrainian government continue to insist that they are committed to the truce negotiated last week. Chancellor Merkel, the driving force behind the deal reached early Thursday after all-night negotiations in the Belarusian capital Minsk, described the situation on Monday as "fragile." She appealed for the ceasefire to be respected.
"It was always clear that much remains to be done. And I have always said that there are no guarantees that what we are trying to do succeeds. It will be an extremely difficult path," Merkel told reporters in Berlin.
According to the ceasefire agreement, both the pro-Russia separatists and the Ukrainian military are to begin withdrawing heavy weapons from the front line on Tuesday. This plan might be at risk, with rebels saying they are not satisfied that conditions are in place for the process to go ahead.
Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of supporting the separatists, and in the last year have imposed a range of economic sanctions on Moscow. Russia has denied all involvement in the war in eastern Ukraine. The 10-month conflict has claimed more than 5,300 lives.
das/cmk (AP, Reuters)