Ukraine's Foreign Minister announces start of disengagement of forces in Zolote, to be followed by Petrivske

12:15, 29.10.2019 1 min read

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko says that the process of disengaging forces and weapons in the town of Zolote in Luhansk region began on Tuesday.

"Disengagement on the agreed sites will take place before a Normandy Four summit. Disengagement in Zolote is under way now. We're starting from today... This is the disengagement of the forces deployed directly along the contact line," Prystaiko told reporters in Mariupol on Tuesday.

According to him, the disengagement process will be confirmed by monitors of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine.

"Why was there a certain delay? We need this to be not just the withdrawal [of forces] but it should be verified and confirmed by the OSCE SMM. We gave them time to prepare," Prystaiko noted.

Zolote will be followed by Petrivske if a ceasefire is observed, the minister said.