Rasmussen, Vershbow urge UN to deploy peacekeepers in Donbas
An Ukrinform correspondent learned this from the Rasmussen Global analytical center in Brussels.
"Leading friends of Ukraine Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Alexander Vershbow are urging the UN Security Council to agree a credible peacekeeping and stabilization force to help restore Ukraine's sovereignty," the politicians said.
They criticized the position expressed by Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the conditions for launching a peacekeeping force designed to undermine its effectiveness.
"The devil is definitely in the detail. However, with a peacekeeping force now on the table, the UN Security Council should seriously engage with the proposal," Rasmussen said.
He recalled that Russia had always threatened to veto its decision on the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.
The politicians are proposing a three-stage deployment of peacekeepers: phase one close to the contact line; phase two deeper into occupied territories; and phase three covering the entirety of the occupied territories and a presence along the international border.
The force could only be deployed once heavy weaponry is withdrawn, and it should have access to inspect all convoys - including humanitarian convoys - crossing the border. To be effective, the phased deployment would have to be synchronized with the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk agreement and not limited to a six months' period as proposed by Russia.
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