US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ukraine Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko discussed efforts to end more than five years of fighting in eastern Ukraine, the State Department said in a readout of Friday's meeting
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st January, 2020) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ukraine Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko discussed efforts to end more than five years of fighting in eastern Ukraine, the State Department said in a readout of Friday's meeting.
"The Secretary reaffirmed the United States will continue to work with Allies and partners to press Russia to implement its security commitments under the Minsk agreements," the readout said.
Two Minsk agreements, brokered by the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2014 and 2015, called for an immediate cease fire, but failed to stop the fighting.
Face to face talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in December yielded tentative agreements on a cease fire and detainee exchanges.
Zelenskyy pledged in his campaign to negotiate an end to the conflict that has displaced tens of thousands of people and killed more than 13,000, according to media reports.
Russia has repeatedly denied interfering in Ukraine's internal affairs and insisted that it works to end the conflict in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, the Trilateral Contact Group's representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) met for consultations in Minsk and agreed the next meeting will be held on February 12.The group has been established in 2014 as an inclusive platform to look for a political solution to the conflict in the east Ukraine.
