Russians should return to JCCC as soon as possible - Volker

Russian officers should return to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) in Donbas as soon as possible, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker has said.

He said this during a telephone briefing on Monday, Ukrinform's correspondent in Brussels reports.

Volker said that one of the immediate issues was resuming the presence of Russian officers in the JCCC, which helps Russians and Ukrainians communicate in the matter of compliance with the ceasefire regime and resolve other incidents. 

He expressed hope that the problem of returning Russians to the JCCC would be settled as soon as possible.

This is actually an important factor in ensuring the safety of people in Donbas, Volker said. 

As reported, on December 18, 2017, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russian representatives of the JCCC would leave Ukraine on December 19 due to the "tense moral and psychological situation."

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry described Russia's withdrawal from the JCCC as a provocation that greatly undermines the Minsk agreements and Russia's desire to remove its responsibility as a party to the conflict for the consequences of armed aggression against Ukraine.

op