New Ukraine clashes serious breach of truce: EU

The European Union has denounced fresh clashes in Ukraine’s eastern regions as the biggest violation of a truce signed in February between Kiev and pro-Russia forces to end the deadly battle.

“The violent fighting in Maryinka near Donetsk in the east of Ukraine constitutes the most serious violation of the ceasefire arising from the Minsk accords in February,” European Commission spokeswoman, Maja Kocijancic, told reporters on Thursday.

She also pointed to the movement of what she called a “large quantity of heavy weapons towards the line of contact” by pro-Russians.

Kocijancic called for the truce to be “fully respected and all heavy arms withdrawn” as stipulated by the Minsk deal.

Two dozen people have recently been killed in renewed fighting between Ukraine government troops and pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine.

Kiev warns of ‘colossal threat’

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko warned of the possibility of a resumption of major clashes between the two sides.

“There remains a colossal threat of resumption of large-scale fighting on the part” of pro-Russians, Poroshenko said in his annual address to parliament.

Russia, for its part, put the blame on the Ukrainian government and accused Kiev of trying to disrupt the truce ahead of an EU summit later in June.

“No doubt these provocations are being organized by the Ukrainian army,” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding, “We are seriously worried by this indeed.”

A pro-Russia commander said 14 members of the forces and five civilians have died over the past 24 hours of clashes. Kiev says five Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 39 others injured in the latest rise in fighting.

The Ukrainian military on Wednesday claimed pro-Russia forces had carried out a massive attack on the settlement of Maryinka, west of Donetsk.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, meanwhile, has said the Minsk peace deal is under a “constant threat” from the Ukrainian authorities.

The two conflicting sides signed a ceasefire deal in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk on February 11-12, known as the Minsk II agreement.

Under the peace deal, Kiev and the Pro-Russia forces were expected to withdraw heavy weaponry from conflict zones and start negotiations on holding local elections in the restive eastern areas.

MR/HSN/HMV

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