Russia refuses to support "Easter" truce in Donbass

The conference of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) and security group, where the "Easter" truce Initiative was discussed, ended in failure. This was stated on Facebook by first vice-speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, representative of Ukraine in the humanitarian subgroup of the TCG Iryna Herashchenko, - UNN reports.

"The Skype conference of the TCG and security group, which discussed the Easter truce initiative, lasted today for 6 hours. The negotiations just ended. Without effect. The Russian federation refused to support the initiative of Ukraine to declare a truce for the holiday, refused to take responsibility for the ceasefire in the Donbass", - the message said.

Let me recall that during the visit of President Poroshenko to his colleagues - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron - the leaders of the Normandy format supported the initiative to declare a ceasefire and Easter truce, agreed at the last meeting in Minsk", - she added.

Herashchenko noted that during the Skype conference, representative of the Russian Federation Boris Gryzlov did not get in touch.

"Today, representative of the Russian Federation in the TCG B.Gryzlov did not appear at the Skype conference, diplomat Kulmugamedov represented the Russian party. The Russian Federation flatly refused to assume the guarantees of ceasefire, having once again repeated the Kremlin theses on "civil war, internal conflict" and need for "direct dialogue" with CADLO. Russia does not change its tactics. Electoral races in Ukraine and their possible consequences do not make it docile", - Herashchenko reported.

She explained that "the Easter truce was supposed to come into force on April 19 at noon. Representative of Ukraine in the TCG Yevhen Marchuk accused Russia and its President V. Putin, who is not interested in de-escalation and ending the war in Donbass, in breaking the agreements. There is no signal, so that the Russian Federation was ready to change its position, on the contrary, it is waiting for the weakening of Ukraine and does everything for that".