PACE calls on Russia to stop military provocations near Ukraine's borders

This was said in a document distributed by the PACE informal group Baltic Plus among the delegates of the spring session of the Assembly regarding Russia's provocations and escalation of hostilities against Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“With the latest steps, in particular the recent refusal to restore ceasefire commitments, Russia is demonstrating its reluctance to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine peacefully. On the contrary, Russia is openly undermining peace efforts by unjustifiably relocating its troops, while constantly blaming Ukraine and denying its involvement in Donbas,” reads the statement, open for signature.

The parliamentarians are "seriously concerned about the increase in ceasefire violations by Russian-backed groups, the growing number of casualties, and, in particular, a constant build-up and concentration of excessive military forces in the immediate vicinity of Ukraine's borders and on the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula."

"All this undermines the overall stability and security on our continent," the document reads.

They call on Russia to stop provocations, end the blockade of the Kerch Strait, and start de-escalating the situation, as well as dispel all concerns, being completely transparent and providing information about its military activities in accordance with the risk reduction mechanism of the Vienna Document.

The signatories of the document welcome Ukraine’s unwavering commitment to a political settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the restraint shown by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"We call on Russia to adhere to the principles and commitments of the OSCE, as well as the spirit and letter of its statutory obligations to the Council of Europe," the delegates of the Assembly said.

The document has already been signed by members of the national delegations of Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Sweden, Georgia, Romania and Azerbaijan.

The PACE spring session is held in Strasbourg on April 19-22.

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