Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine Alexander Hug has said that a possible peacekeeping mission in Donbas should not replace the Minsk agreements.
"We in our mission welcome all the initiatives aimed at the stabilization and resolution of the situation in Ukraine, as well as the achievement of sustainable peace," Hug said at a roundtable at Gorshenin Institute on Tuesday, 19 September.
"Where and under what conditions this peacekeeping mission is to be deployed is the competence of the UN Security Council," he said.
Hug added that he learned about the proposals for a peacekeeping mission from the media, therefore discussing something else, in his opinion, would be a speculation.
"The OSCE has accumulated enormous experience over the last 3.5 years of work in Donbas, and our mission expresses its willingness to provide counsel and support", he said.
"Any initiative, however, should not detract from the responsibility of the parties to stop the conflict. All the commitments signed in Minsk must be implemented and there's no way of getting around the fact that the full implementation of the Minsk agreements requires political will," said Hug.
The official stressed that while the issue of peacekeepers is being discussed, the OSCE will continue working for a peaceful settlement in Donbas.