OSCE Admits Escalation of the Conflict between Ukraine and Russia

The OSCE secretary general does not expect a breakthrough in the peace negotiations in the foreseeable future due to the “lack of political will”. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine may escalate again, warns the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. “I have a fear that there may be a  knock-on effect. There are some conflict hotspots and eruptions, whether or no there may be some escalation”, said OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger in an interview published on Monday, December 24, for Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung. According to Greminger “a focal point of fire may cause huge fire”. He emphasized the Crimea and the line of demarcation in the Donbas as points and added that the “elections” on the territories of the “LPR” and “DPR” can be one of the reasons of the escalation of the conflict. “We should proceed from the fact that rebellious “republics”, if they are under military pressure, will again receive support from Russia”, the OSCE secretary general stressed, urging the Kremlin to demonstrate goodwill in order to revive mutual trust. Such a gesture of goodwill could be “the release of 24 detained sailors and the return of three captured ships”. But Greminger does not expect a breakthrough in peace negotiations in the foreseeable future, since “there is simply no political will for reconciliation”. It would be good to receive new impulses from the “Norman group” consisting of Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia, but “unfortunately at the moment we are very far away from it,” the OSCE Secretary General said. Source: Korrespondent