Contact Group fails to reach agreement on Donbass ceasefire – Russia’s envoy

Participants in the meeting of the Contact Group on peaceful settlement in Donbass have failed to agree on a comprehensive and stable ceasefire, according to Russia’s envoy Boris Gryzlov. The issue of establishing a ceasefire between Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine was discussed at the videoconference, Gryzlov said on Thursday. The dialogue took place in the format of a working group on security, and then in the format of the Contact Group, he said. “Unfortunately, the discussion did not yield any results. Kiev refused to take additional measures to strengthen the ceasefire regime, which were supposed to ensure strong security and transition to political settlement,” the envoy said. Proposals by Donetsk and Lugansk, which were supported by Russia and earlier by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) were rejected, he added.