UN countries reject Russia’s claim that it acts as mediator within Donbas conflict

The position of Russia, which tried to hold discussions at the UN on the implementation of the Minsk agreements, is deceptive. The Russian Federation itself cannot be a mediator, since it instigated and continues to fuel the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

This was said in a joint statement of the United Kingdom, the United States and Estonia on Ukraine, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday, December 2.

“We strongly reject Russia’s premise that it is acting as a mediator within an internal conflict. Russia is an active participant that trains, arms, and leads armed formations in areas outside of Ukrainian government control, supplementing these proxy forces with military personnel and equipment,” the statement reads.

The statement by the United Kingdom, the United States and Estonia came in response to Moscow's attempts to hold an "Arria formula" meeting of the UN Security Council on December 2, to which representatives of the occupation authorities of the unrecognized DPR/LPR, controlled by Moscow, were invited. This attempt to use the UN platform was thwarted – the Western countries refused to participate in the Russian initiative, and the UN did not even broadcast the event on official resources.

According to the statement, "this meeting was a transparent attempt to present a false and misleading narrative regarding the conflict in eastern Ukraine."

In this regard, the Western countries recalled that the Russian Federation "instigated and continues to fuel a conflict which has resulted in approximately 13,000 deaths, appalling human rights abuses, and a deteriorating humanitarian situation for the civilian population."

“We reiterate our support for the Minsk agreements and our firm commitment to see the peaceful resolution of the conflict with full respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We welcome the steps taken by the Ukrainian government to make progress in resolving the conflict and call on Russia to act likewise,” the document says.

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