Trilateral talks fail to reach any agreement on Ukraine armed conflict

Trilateral negotiations between diplomats representing the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the European Union failed to reach any agreements, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier reported on Aug. 18. “We agreed to offer a first report to our capitals, heads of state and governments,” he said, as reported by the Reuters news agency, adding that it’s likely they will agree to continue the discussion on Tuesday. “The goal remains achieving a resolution in Ukraine and avoiding future casualties.” The ministers involved didn’t wait for Steinmeier’s appearance before the press and left immediately after the meeting, denying Steinmeier the ability to issue a joint statement, reported an anonymous source quoted by the Yevropeyska Pravda news site on Aug. 18. “There’s no room for compromise where the state is supposed to hold down its red line,” tweeted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin. “Ukraine didn’t cross it. I felt the support of our partners.”

 

The Ukrainian government is awaiting a complex decision by NATO at the Sept. 4-5 summit in Newport, Wales on political support, increasing aid to its armed forces (excluding soldiers), help in conducting reforms and fighting terrorism and cybersecurity, Klimkin said in an Aug. 16 radio interview on Deutschlandfunk. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko confirmed his participation in the summit. Ukraine’s NATO membership won’t be an issue at the summit because a consensus hasn’t been reached domestically on that matter.

 

Russian Armed Forces are continuing to shoot at Ukrainian territory, transfer military hardware to Ukraine and infringe upon Ukrainian airspace with drone aircraft, reported on Aug. 17 Andriy Lysenko, the spokesman for the information-analytical center of the National Security and Defense Council. The Ukrainian government’s anti-terrorist operation is preparing for an offense to retake control of the largest cities of Donetsk (population 950,000); Luhansk (424,000), which has been entered by Ukrainian forces; and Horlivka (254,000), which has been encircled as of Aug. 18. During the period of the armed conflict, pro-Russian terrorists have kidnapped 1,009 victims, who are forced to join their ranks or are used as bounties. A Ukrainian Mig-29 destroyer was shot down the night of Aug. 17, the spokesman said.

 

The majority of pro-Russian fighters are planning to abandon the Donetsk region by Aug. 18, Lysenko reported. Many have changed into civilian clothing and are forging documents to leave the region as refugees, he said.

 

NATO General Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen confirmed on Aug. 15 that a column of Russian armored vehicles entered Ukrainian territory the prior night, evidence that the Russian government is continuing its efforts to destabilize eastern Ukraine. “This confirms the fact that we see a constant flow of arms and fighters from Russia into eastern Ukraine,” he said. The same night, 70 units of Russian military hardware entered Ukrainian territory, reported on Aug. 15 Linas Linkevicius, the Lithuanian foreign minister. “We are extremely troubled by the situation’s development, since from one side, we hear a lot about the so-called ‘humanitarian convoy,’ while at the same time we see that the escalation is continuing,” he said.

The Russian occupation of Crimea and armed invasion of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions has created more than 105,000 refugees within Ukraine’s borders, reported on Aug. 15 Vasyl Stoyetskyi, the deputy head of the Emergency Situations State Service. Of that figure, 89,000 are from Donetsk and Luhansk and 16,000 from Crimea. The United Nations has estimated 117,000 refugees within Ukraine’s borders.

 

The situation in Luhansk remains critical for the 14th day, reported on Aug, 16 the city council website, with electricity, water and telephone communication still lacking. The city was under heavy fire the night of Aug. 16, resulting in fires and ruins, including the burning of a local hardware supermarket. Only basic food staples are available and lines have emerged for bread and water. Medical supplies and fuel aren’t being delivered.

 

Ukraine’s Social Policy Ministry has recognized the “humanitarian convoy” – which Red Cross International Committee received from the Russian Federation government – as humanitarian aid, Minister Liudmyla Denysova announced on Aug. 17. The cargo contains food and medical items weighing 1,856 tons. The cargo will be transferred to Ukraine by Red Cross representatives, she said.

 

The illegal transfer of heavy weaponry and military hardware to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions has increased significantly recently, thereby escalating the conflict, Ukrainian Petro Poroshenko told U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in an Aug. 18 telephone conversation.

 

Russian Armed Forces have no involvement with the humanitarian aid convoy, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu told U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hegel in an Aug. 16 telephone call, as reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The convoy won’t be used as a pretext for interfering in Ukrainian affairs, Shoygu said. Its contents will be delivered and distributed by the Red Cross, with Russia accepting Ukraine’s conditions, he said.