The Ukrainian side said during a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) in Minsk that first of all it is necessary to tackle a bloc of security issues for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements.

"During the meeting of the TCG, the Ukrainian side clearly stated: the settlement of the security issues – the ceasefire, withdrawal of the armed groups and military equipment and establishment of control over the border – is the priority task for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements," Darka Olifer, press secretary for Ukraine's TCG Representative Leonid Kuchma, wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

"The global experience of settling armed conflicts shows that it is impossible to build peace without the establishment of the government's control over its border," Kuchma said.

The statement reads that the security situation in Donbas remains difficult as the illegal armed groups, including snipers, of the ORDLO continue mounting shelling attacks and sabotage and reconnaissance groups are working on the contact line.

"[The sides] agreed to continue working on the settlement of a bloc of security issues which are the key ones for Ukraine and the global community," Olifer said.

She added that today's meeting was the last one with the participation of Martin Sajdik, who has passed the powers of Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Ukraine and the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) to Heidi Grau.