On 18 February 2015, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has adopted a decision to request the United Nations and the European Union to send their peacekeepers to Ukraine that would be acting according to a mandate from
the United Nations.
In this regard we would like to emphasize the following:
- Ukraine remains committed to the Minsk Agreements dated 5 and 19 September 2014. Ukraine has demonstrated its readiness to fully implement the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreement dated 12 February 2015.
- The Russian forces in Ukraine do not respect the ceasefire agreement reached with the participation of the President of Russia. This requires an adequate reaction from Ukraine and the international community. Absence of such a reaction would finally close the road to a peaceful settlement.
- Ukraine would consider presence on its territory of a multinational peacekeeping contingent as an additional factor of peaceful settlement in the South East of Ukraine.
- By inviting an international peacekeeping mission Ukraine proceeds from an urgent necessity to restore law and order, protect constitutional rights and freedoms of its citizens and create conditions for returning of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine to normal life.
- Details of Ukraine’s vision of such a peacekeeping mission’s mandate will be presented during respective consultations between Ukraine and international organizations. At the same time, representatives of Russia as an aggressor-state must not participate in the peacekeeping mission. This is a matter of principles, values and respect for international law.
- Deployment of an EU peacekeeping mission in Ukraine supported by respective resolution of the UN Security Council would become a logical step on the way of protecting peace and security in Europe, namely by consolidating efforts to stop the Russian aggression against Ukraine and restore peace in the South East of Ukraine.