KYIV/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Ukraine and Russia blamed one another after a push to agree a brand new ceasefire in japanese Ukraine broke down late on Thursday as tensions over a Russian troop buildup close to its southern neighbour continued.
Ukraine mentioned Moscow had rejected a sequence of its proposals, together with prisoner swaps, reopening a checkpoint and increasing a joint communications centre. Ukrainian troops have battled Russian-backed forces in its east since 2014.
“Unfortunately, all initiatives of the Ukrainian facet have been rejected by the Russian Federation below contrived pretexts,” a press release by Ukraine’s delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), which additionally consists of Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), mentioned.
Russia mentioned late on Thursday that Kyiv had submitted “completely absurd” proposals and accused it of imitating negotiations on the talks.
Moscow singled out a proposal so as to add Germany and France to the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination, a gaggle tasked with implementing ceasefire agreements.
“In such circumstances, the Donetsk, Lugansk (separatist authorities) and the OSCE thought of it unimaginable to proceed talks. We are understanding of this choice,” mentioned Boris Gryzlov, Russia’s envoy within the contact group.
There was no rapid assertion from the OSCE.
Russia on Thursday stored up a barrage of hostile rhetoric in direction of Ukraine and in contrast the disaster there to probably the most harmful second of the Cold War as it waited for U.S. President Joe Biden to ask it to attainable talks with NATO nations.
It was not instantly clear if there could be new talks to attempt to get the ceasefire push again on monitor.
(Reporting by Natalia Zinets in Kyiv and Anton Zverev in Moscow; writing by Matthias Williams/Tom Balmforth; enhancing by Andrew Osborn)
