Condemning Continuous Ceasefire Violations in Eastern Ukraine, Security Council Presidential Statement Expresses Grave Concern about Severe Impact on Civilians

The Security Council expressed grave concern about the recent deterioration of the security situation in eastern Ukraine and its severe impact on civilians.

In presidential statement S/PRST/2018/12, read out by Vassily A. Nebenzia (Russian Federation), Council president for June, the Security Council condemned continuous ceasefire violations, especially the use of heavy weapons prohibited by the Minsk Agreements, and called for implementation of disengagement commitments and the immediate withdrawal of those weapons, in accordance with those accords.

Expressing full support to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission, the Council called on all parties to facilitate its work, including safe and secure access throughout Ukraine to fulfil its mandate.  It further recalled its full support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, underlining the need for strict compliance with resolution 2202 (2015), which endorsed the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, and encouraging all parties to recommit to the peace process.  It also reaffirmed its full support for resolution 2166 (2014) on the downing of flight MH17.

The meeting began at 10:16 a.m. and ended at 10:19 a.m.

Presidential Statement

The full text of presidential statement S/PRST/2018/12 reads as follows:

“The Security Council expresses grave concern about the recent deterioration of the security situation in eastern Ukraine and its severe impact on the civilian population.

“The Security Council condemns continuous violations of the ceasefire regime, especially the use of heavy weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements, responsible for tragic deaths, including among civilians, and calls for the implementation of disengagement commitments and the immediate withdrawal of heavy weapons in accordance with relevant provisions of the Minsk agreements.

“The Security Council welcomes the work of the United Nations agencies in order to address the tragic humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine and emphasizes the need for scaling up efforts to alleviate suffering of the civilian population affected by the conflict.

“The Security Council expresses its full support to the Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission and calls on all the parties to facilitate its work, including safe and secure access throughout Ukraine to fulfil its mandate and guarantee the safety of its staff and protection of its equipment.

“The Security Council recalls its full support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, underlines the need for strict compliance with resolution 2202 (2015), which endorsed the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, and encourages all the parties to recommit to the peace process and to implement all the measures agreed in the Normandy format and the Trilateral Contact Group in order to achieve immediate progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

“The Security Council reaffirms its full support for resolution 2166 (2014) on the downing of flight MH17.”