France calls on Russia to exert influence over militants to observe ceasefire in Donbas

The Foreign Ministry of France discussed this at a briefing on December 15, the French Embassy in Ukraine informed.

"France condemns attacks launched on the night of December 13 in Popasna area (Luhansk region) that endangered the lives of five observers of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine," the report reads.

According to the Foreign Ministry, it is necessary to ensure the safety of observers in accordance with the mandate of the mission, approved by 57 OSCE countries.

"We are very concerned about the warfare intensity in the east of Ukraine, as a result of which 17 people were killed and 37 were injured from the beginning of December," the Foreign Ministry noted.

In addition, France together with Germany is working in the "Normandy format" to settle the situation in Donbas.

"We call upon all parties to return to the ceasefire regime for the period of Christmas holidays during the next meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group, which will be held in Minsk on December 20. We, in particular, urge Russia to exert its influence over separatists to ensure full compliance with the ceasefire regime," the report says.

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