Ukraine calls on UN to beef up international presence in Donbas

Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Volodymyr Yelchenko has called on the United Nations to enhance an international presence in #Donbas, eastern Ukraine, by deploying UN peacekeepers and OSCE police.

"A more active international presence is needed to ensure security on the ground [in Donbas]. An OSCE mission should work. We favor the extension of the mission's mandate at Ukraine's request," he said at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday evening.

"We've invited a UN peacekeeping mission [in Donbas] – this invitation is still in force," he said.

He also said that the OSCE mission should be enhanced with a special police mission under the aegis of the OSCE, which could be an effective tool to restore peace in Donbas.

"We consider that the uncontrolled sector of the Russian-Ukrainian border only limits international measures, as armed groups that get weapons may arrive from Russia," he added.

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