Mr Chairman,

Like other speakers, we are deeply concerned by the sharp escalation of the situation in southeastern Ukraine. The number of incidents on both sides has shot up, especially in the area of the Donetsk airport. Meanwhile, the shelling of residential areas in Donetsk, Gorlovka and other towns in Donbass has resumed, claiming civilian lives literally every day. On 13 January, Donetsk came under the most massive shelling attack in the recent period. We support the OCSE Special Monitoring Mission's efforts to ensure an immediate ceasefire in and around the airport and are sending corresponding messages to the conflicting parties.

The intensification of hostilities in the conflict zone deals a serious blow to all efforts aimed at the peaceful resolution of the crisis. All of this looks like a desperate attempt to bring the situation back to a use-of-force scenario.

We have already warned our partners that we can very well see the indications of Ukrainian security forces and so-called volunteer battalions concentrating near Donbass. This also includes plans for a second wave of military mobilisation declared in Ukraine, which will be followed by another two waves in the next several months.

The Kiev authorities are hectically purchasing weapons, even in the Balkans. Plans to increase military spending at the expense of other budget items, which is obviously unbearable for the country, have been announced.

The Ukrainian authorities continue tightening the blockade of Donbass and seem to be purposely exacerbating the situation for the people living there. Humanitarian aid and food and medication supplies have been blocked and social payments have been halted. A passes-only system has been introduced along the line of disengagement. Restrictions on the movement of people are being tightened, even in cases of emergency medical assistance.

All of this bears out our general impression: Kiev does not want to implement a serious constitutional reform with the participation of the regions and achieve a settlement through political dialogue with the Donbass leadership. Its focus is on resolving the conflict by military force and the economic pressure on the people living in the defiant regions. This path will lead to a major catastrophe.

For our part, in addition to what was already stated at the Normandy format foreign ministers' meeting in Berlin on 12 January, we reiterate our strong commitment to a comprehensive and exclusively peaceful settlement of the crisis, including the launch of a stable political process.

The Minsk agreements serve as a foundation for that and should be implemented by all parties. The parties to the conflict – the Ukrainian authorities and representatives of certain parts of the Lugansk and Donetsk regions – should continue direct dialogue to make progress on this issue. This includes the creation of prerequisites for a viable truce, the harmonisation of modalities for humanitarian aid supplies and the continuation of the detainee exchange process. Our common goal is to nudge them towards a complete and comprehensive implementation of the steps that were identified in Minsk.

There is a need for a full and immediate ceasefire and the de-escalation of the situation. We strongly condemn all shelling and other attacks that lead to civilian deaths. This fully applies to the passenger bus incident near the town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk Region. There are different versions of what happened. Before conclusions can be made, an objective investigation should be conducted into this tragedy. We support the idea of conducting such an investigation under the auspices of the Joint Control and Coordination Commission. Likewise the 5 November shelling of the Donetsk school should be investigated.

Every day civilians are killed in Donetsk as a result of shelling from the territory controlled by Ukrainian security forces. In all, over 4,800 people have been killed since the start of the special security operation, with over 10,000 people injured and over 1,000 residential buildings and utilities and vital infrastructure facilities destroyed. Even international non-governmental organisations have pointed to the indiscriminate use of heavy weapons and cluster munitions in residential areas by the Ukrainian authorities.

At the same time, Ukrainian security forces, especially members of oligarch-controlled groups such as Azov or Aidar, continue to act with complete impunity. There has been no word from the Ukrainian authorities about the outcome of the investigation into such groups' crimes.

Mr Chairman,

It is extremely important now to stop the escalation of violence. Strict observance of the ceasefire is of paramount importance. The use of heavy weapons against residential areas and vital infrastructure, which is of a clearly provocative nature, is unacceptable. We urge the Ukrainian authorities to ensure full control over the observance of the ceasefire by all units of the Armed Forces and other units involved in the special security operation.

We take note of the remarks by Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko to the effect that he remains committed to a peaceful settlement in Donbass and will do all that is possible "and even impossible" to bring that about.

Until now, the parties to the conflict have made limited progress in implementing the Minsk agreements. The "silence mode" has been observed in many areas along the line of contact. Some heavy military equipment has been withdrawn, at least by the self-defence forces. There have been exchanges of detainees. Joint patrolling began along the line of contact, as reflected in the SMM report. In those conditions, the Donetsk self-defence forces met the Ukrainian side halfway and allowed it repeatedly to rotate personnel at the Donetsk airport, presumably hoping that the shelling of Donetsk would not resume. The noticeable decline in the intensity of shelling allowed the people of Donbass, who have suffered as a result of military operations, to start returning to a normal life, despite the catastrophic situation with food and medication supplies.

It is important to reaffirm the clear message that there is no alternative to the peaceful resolution of the crisis. Any moves to encourage the forces seeking to revisit a use-of-force scenario are unacceptable and fraught with disaster. As the events of the past several days have shown, unfortunately, they have no qualms about the methods that they use.

It is perfectly clear that a sustainable settlement of the crisis, which would meet the interests of Ukraine's entire population, is only possible through a direct inclusive national dialogue on constitutional reform, with the participation of all the regions and political forces of Ukraine, to achieve national conciliation and national accord regarding the kind of state where all Ukrainians will feel comfortable and safe.

Thank you.