U.S. Special Representative on Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker commented positively on Thursday on the so-called "peace plan for Ukraine" authored by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Special Representative in the Trilateral Contact Group, Martin Sajdik.

I think the essence [of the proposal] in principle is useful," he said during a telephone briefing, adding that the problem is there is no agreement from Russia. Volker said Russia continues to deny it is occupying areas of eastern Ukraine and is insisting that it is only protecting observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Volker said.

The fundamental question is whether Russia wants to agree to an international peacekeeping mission that replaces Russian forces and establish true peace and security in Donbas. If Russia wants this, this will happen within the framework of the UN mandate, he said.

Sajdik earlier unveiled his plan in the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung. The diplomat said the plan was presented at the last meeting of the OSCE Foreign Ministers Council in Milan in December, where representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France were present.

According to Sajdik's plan, the UN and the OSCE should not act in parallel, but together under the general leadership led by the so-called special representative: this applies to both the military and police components of the UN, and the OSCE monitoring mission, which is already operating on the ground.