Russia Cannot Guarantee Observance Of Donbas Ceasefire Because It Is Not Party To Conflict – Putin's Spokesman Peskov

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov has stated that Russia cannot act as a guarantor of observance of the ceasefire in the Donbas because it is not a party to the conflict.

This is stated in a report by the Russian news agency, TASS, the Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"Russia cannot act as a guarantor of observance of the ceasefire in the Donbas because it is not a party to the conflict, Peskov said when asked whether Moscow can guarantee compliance with the indefinite ceasefire," TASS wrote.

According to the report, Peskov described the ceasefire as an essential step toward building confidence and defusing tensions on the line of contact.

He emphasized that the indefinite ceasefire agreement that entered into force in the Donbas on Monday represents an important step toward defusing tensions, but it is important for both sides to the conflict to abide by the agreement.

"It is one thing [to enforce the agreement] at the Normandy Format level, but I do not think we can talk of any guarantees from Russia in this case because Russia is not a party to the conflict in southeast Ukraine," Peskov said.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the Joint Forces Operations commander Volodymyr Kravchenko has accused militants of violating the ceasefire in the Donbas.