EU expects withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine

12:09, 23.09.2014 1 min read

Brussels says that the level of violence in the east of Ukraine has declined as a result of the ceasefire.

"Unfortunately, despite support for the ceasefire as a whole, incidents in the form of shelling continue, especially in the area of the Donetsk Airport," EEAS Director for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia, Regional Cooperation and OSCE Gunnar Wiegand said at a meeting of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

He noted that the adoption by the Ukrainian parliament of the laws on amnesty and a special status for certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions was a clear signal of the fulfillment by the Ukrainian side of obligations under the Minsk protocol.

"We hope that Russia and separatists will mutually perform the points of the agreement," Wiegand said.

"We hope that Russian troops will be withdrawn under OSCE supervision," he added.

He also stressed the importance of having OSCE observers with the necessary qualifications in the region.