Ukraine, Russian-backed rebels to sign new agreement

The parties to the Trilateral Contract Group, created to resolve the armed conflict in Ukraine, plan to sign an agreement on July 7 for the mutual withdrawal from the conflict line of tank guns, cannons and mortars of a caliber less than 100 mm, announced on June 29 Darka Olifer, the spokeswoman for Ukraine’s representative in negotiations, former President Leonid Kuchma. Such an agreement has been reached between the Ukrainian government and the Russian-backed terrorists, reported Interfax, citing an anonymous source. All that remains are technical details, the source said. The document will outline the mechanism and conditions for removing the hardware, which wasn’t included in the Minsk accords.

Zenon Zawada: This agreement could become a positive step in making some progress with the Minsk accords, which are largely derailed. A piecemeal approach, setting incremental short-term goals, may prove more effective than trying to tackle too many points of the Minsk accords all at once.

It’s widely understood that Moscow is intentionally undermining the Minsk accords. The Russian government, which has the upperhand and military advantage in the conflict, could come into immediate compliance with most of the agreement’s points, if it wanted to.