DONETSK/MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd August, 2018) The Contact Group on Ukraine, which is comprised of representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE, has agreed on a new truce in Donbas by the start of the academic year, plenipotentiary envoy of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in the group Denis Pushilin said Wednesday.
"In line with the agreement, the sides will resume their commitments within the framework of a new truce from 00:01 August 29," Pushilin wrote on Facebook.
Pushilin later expressed hope that the "school truce" would contribute to further "stabilizing the situation in Donbas and let the region focus on settling economic and political issues." He also stressed the need for the conflicting sides to honor their obligations, such as the ban on the deployment of heavy weaponry in the area and strict disciplinary measures toward those violating the truce.
The next Contact Group meeting will be held in Minsk on September 5, according to Pushilin's press service.
Meanwhile, a representative of the DPR in the joint center for control and coordination of the ceasefire regime told Sputnik that militia in the self-proclaimed republic was prepared to respect the new truce.
"The DPR forces have always adhered to all ceasefire agreements. And we are ready to fully respect the truce this time," the representative said.
Ukrainian envoy Leonid Kuchma's spokeswoman Daria Olifer confirmed that "the sides commit themselves to making the necessary steps to ensure the lasting ceasefire regime."
The sides also pledge to provide the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) with safe and secure access to the entire territory of Ukraine, Olifer wrote on Facebook.
Russian envoy to the Contact Group Boris Gryzlov said that the new truce would be subject to a special control starting from August 29.
The conflict in Donbas started in 2014, when Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation against the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics that refused to recognize the new government in Kiev, which came to power after what they considered to be a coup. In February 2015, the warring parties signed the Minsk peace accords to end the hostilities in the region, but the situation has remained tense, with both parties accusing each other of ceasefire violations.
