MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/: Ukraine and Western countries did not show the relevant level of respect to deploying a group of OSCE observers at the Russian initiative on the Gukovo and Donetsk checkpoints located on the Russian-Ukrainian border, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said in a statement issued on Friday after this group stopped operating.
"The deployment of the group was a goodwill gesture by Russia to encourage Kiev to follow the path of peaceful settlement of the eastern Ukraine crisis. This confidence building measures was expected to facilitate a quick settlement of the domestic Ukrainian conflict. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian authorities and their Western patrons did not demonstrate the necessary level of respect to this step taken by Russia," she said.
The Russian diplomat emphasized that the OSCE group had not recorded any instances of deployment of forces, weapons, ammunition or military hardware from Russia to Donbass in the seven years it was active.
On Thursday, Russia’s envoy to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich told a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council that Russia sees no reasons to extend the group’s mandate beyond its expiration date on September 30, 2021. According to him, this decision will not be revisited.
