Gabriel wants to negotiate un mission for eastern ukraine

Gabriel wants to negotiate un mission for eastern ukraine

Federal minister sigmar gabriel wants to negotiate conditions for the deployment of un peacekeepers to eastern ukraine with russia, france and other states.

An "armed and robust UN peacekeeping mission" that could secure a ceasefire in the entire area of eastern ukraine would be "a sensible solution," the SPD politician said after a meeting with his ukrainian colleague pawel klimkin in the ukrainian capital of kiev. He would like to see the presidential election in russia on 18 december. March to come to a decision on a mandate. On thursday gabriel wants to see for himself the situation in the conflict region of donbass.

Russian president vladimir putin proposed last year that UN peacekeepers be deployed throughout the conflict zone. These are to protect the observers of the organization for security and cooperation in europe (OSCE) who are deployed in the area.

But the UN mission must not be a "relatively modest protection force" for the observers, gabriel stressed. Otherwise today’s contact line, where ukrainian troops and russian-backed separatists are fighting, will become a de facto border. The ideas of russia and those of germany, france and ukraine were far apart. The UN mission must not stand in the way of the goal of "restoring the territorial integrity of ukraine," stressed the german minister, who, like the entire german government, is now only in office on a management basis.

Klimkin described the situation in the conflict region of donbass as very tense. According to his statements, three government soldiers have already been killed and numerous wounded in the past few days despite the ceasefire. "There is no real cease-fire," he said. Since the war between kiev and pro-russian separatists began in spring 2014, more than a dozen ceasefires have been agreed and broken. UN says more than 10,300 people killed so far.

The minsk peace plan, negotiated under german mediation in 2015, has so far been implemented only in rudimentary form. He believes that one must be "realistic" "and that at the core it must be about the ceasefire and the withdrawal of the heavy weapons," said gabriel.

Gabriel was critical of the arms deliveries to ukraine announced by the u.S. "My impression is that if there is anything that exists in the ubermab in the region, it is weapons," he said. Klimkin reassured that these were only used in case of defense. "These are only weapons for the defensive," said the eaves minister. Moscow had classified the U.S. Proposal as a gross mistake. This is how the ukrainians were urged to commit new bloodshed, russian politicians criticized.

Gabriel and klimkin spoke privately for more than half an hour before sitting down with their delegations. The two ministers signed an agreement allowing embassy and consulate staff members to be gainfully employed.