US welcomes decision of restoring ceasefire in Donbas

Washington welcomes the OSCE statement that the members of the Trilateral Contact Group have agreed to restore the ceasefire in Donbas, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price has said.

“We welcome yesterday’s ceasefire announcement between Ukraine and Russia-led forces in eastern Ukraine. Diplomacy and de-escalation is the best way to resolve the crisis in Donbas,” he tweeted.

Price noted that the United States is ready to support the OSCE in the Normandy process in implementing the Minsk agreements, reaffirming its position that the conflict in eastern Ukraine can only be resolved in an atmosphere of de-escalation. In this regard, the State Department stated that the United States continues to call on Russia to withdraw its forces, which are concentrated along the border with Ukraine.

Meantime, Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova told a weekly briefing that Ukraine is preparing for a military solution to the conflict in Donbas.

“Instead of ending the eight-year-old civil war, it is apparently preparing for a military solution to the Donbas problem, as they call it,” she said.

In particular, Zakharova reminded that the country’s government has increased next year’s military budget by 20%, bringing it to almost $ 12 billion. According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov, with that money they intend to buy not only defense but also offensive weapons from their Western partners.