OREANDA-NEWS France and Germany are concerned about the aggravation of the situation in Donbass. The countries expressed support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. This information is reported in a joint statement by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

The countries are concerned about the increase in the number of ceasefire violations, despite the fact that since July 2020 the situation in eastern Ukraine has “stabilized”.

The countries note that they are closely monitoring the situation, in particular the movements of Russian troops, and call on the parties to restrain and immediately reduce tensions.

The ministers of the countries stressed that they continue to seek full implementation of the terms of the Minsk agreements, and support the ongoing negotiations.

The military conflict in Donbass began in 2014, when parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions declared independence after the change of the central government in Kiev. Ukraine accuses Russia of occupying these territories. Moscow rejects the claim.