The announcement in English and Ukrainian says; “We urge both sides in the Donbas conflict to abide by the terms of the ceasefire agreement, but let’s be clear — The Russia-led side has repeatedly deployed howitzer artillery and drones against Ukrainian forces, in direct violation of the enhanced measures agreed last year and recently killed a Ukrainian soldier. Official Russian rhetoric suggesting Ukraine is aggravating the situation is not only misleading, it serves to escalate tensions.”
The announcement accuses Russia of escalating tension. France and
Germany support Russia’s claims. Therefore, the wording “Russia’s official
rhetoric” implies a German-French stand. The announcement reminds readers that Russia has used drones in the region and neither France nor Germany stood against it.
