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Russia’s Envoy: OSCE Discusses Putin’s Ceasefire Plan for Ukraine

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The first discussion of the seven-point peace plan for Ukraine proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin was held at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council Thursday, according to Russia’s OSCE envoy Andrei Kelin.

MOSCOW, September 4 (RIA Novosti) – The first discussion of the seven-point peace plan for Ukraine proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin was held at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council Thursday, according to Russia’s OSCE envoy Andrei Kelin.

“We have stressed that this could be a turning point in Ukraine’s internal crisis and urged everyone to support the plan with action. The most important thing is for this support to be unanimous, especially concerning Washington, because so far this [the United States] has been the only country that has not spoken in favor of an immediate ceasefire. We hope that the American side will be able to strengthen the Kiev authorities’ budding desire to halt military action,” Kelin said.

The Russian envoy noted the positive reaction to Putin’s peace plan on the part of OSCE missions of Turkey, Canada and Switzerland, which is the current OSCE chairman.

On Wednesday, the Russian president outlined a seven-point plan for the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine, calling on Kiev to withdraw troops from the southeastern regions of the country and for the militia to cease military advances.

The plan also includes, among other proposals, the creation of an international monitoring force and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor.

Since mid-April, Kiev forces have been conducting a military operation in the east of Ukraine to suppress independence supporters who refused to acknowledge the new government that came to power after the February 22 coup.

The fighting intensified after the Donetsk and Luhansk regions proclaimed their independence in May.

On September 1, the Contact Group on Ukrainian reconciliation, comprising Russia, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Ukrainian government and eastern Ukraine’s independence supporters met in the Belarusian capital Minsk.

Representatives from the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics said during the meeting that if the self-proclaimed republics received certain legislative guarantees of their special status, they would make every effort to “save the single economic, cultural and political space of Ukraine and the whole space of the Russian-Ukrainian civilization."

The next Contact Group meeting is scheduled for September 5.

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