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Following recent fire exchange in the Luhansk region, Western Ukraine, that brought about the death of one Ukrainian soldier and wounded four other, Polish Foreign Ministry expressed on Wednesday its deep concern over the escalation of the situation in the eastern Ukrainian Donbass region.
“The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its deep concern over the escalation of the situation in Donbas in recent weeks, the latest manifestation of which is today's rapid fire exchange in the Luhansk region,” reads the statement published on the MFA website.
The ministry has called on Russia to stop aggression against Ukraine in a statement published by the ministry's press spokesman's office.
"Attacks by Russia-backed illegal armed groups are taking place at a time when, thanks to the efforts under the Normandy format [N4] and the constructive attitude of President V. Zelensky, the conflict settlement process has gained a new dynamic," reads the statement.
"The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs invariably calls on Russia to stop its aggression against Ukraine, including to withdraw the armed groups it controls from the occupied part of Donbas and to unconditionally implement the Minsk Agreements," the statement reads.
The MFA statement regarding the situation in Donbas.
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇵🇱 (@PolandMFA) February 18, 2020
▶️https://t.co/iOQkHX4lPN pic.twitter.com/4uCbDBfcj9
The conflict goes on
Despite the Minsk II protocol of February 15, 2015 that was supposed to bring a ceasefire and a pulling out of both Ukrainian and Russian-backed separatists’ heavy weapons, the war in Donbass, Western Ukraine has not seen its end yet.
Although the N4 struck another agreement on a ceasefire in Western Ukraine during a Paris meeting in December 2019, it also came to no avail.Today at the @MunSecConf I want everyone in Europe to understand that there is a war taking place on this Continent. It’s in #Donbas ���� It’s not a "minor issue" that can be overlooked or forgotten. It is affecting the lives of millions of people and the security of a Continent.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 15, 2020
On Tuesday morning (5 a.m. local time), pro-Russian separatists attacked Ukrainian armed forces in the Luhansk region. The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces said the separatists used weapons forbidden under the said Minsk Agreement.The outcome of the Normandy Four #N4 meeting in Paris was an agreement on a comprehensive ceasefire. But in 2 months there have been more than 400 shootings of Ukrainian positions & dozens of casualties. We need a real ceasefire mechanism, not just words, but actions @MunSecConf
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 15, 2020