The deadline for withdrawing artillery from the front in eastern Ukraine expired on 16 February, but the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists have not started the operation envisaged by the agreements signed between the parties in Minsk.
The Ukrainian government has declared that it will not begin withdrawal until the siege of Debaltseve is lifted. Political leaders from Germany, Ukraine and Russia discussed the situation over the phone overnight. According to government sources, the leaders agreed on the go-ahead for the entrance of the OSCE observers to Debaltseve.
According to reports from the Kremlin, the Russian president, the German chancellor and the Ukrainian president discussed the fragile truce in the East and in particular the situation in the city of Debaltsevo and the role of observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (Osce). According to sources in the Office of the German Chancellor, "concrete measures" have been agreed to allow OSCE envoys to monitor the fragile truce.
