Russia's approval of six-month deployment seen as possible indication of slight de-escalation of tensionsRussia on Friday accepted the deployment of an international monitoring team to Ukraine that officials said will have free access to regions throughout the country.
The development followed more than a week of stonewalling by Russia of a push by all other members of the 57-nation Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe to send such a mission, which they hope will prevent an escalation of tensions in Ukraine's east and south regions that have large Russian-speaking populations.
Friday's decision calls for advance teams to be deployed within 24 hours. The mission, which has a six-month mandate, initially will consist of 100 observers; up to 400 extra monitors could be deployed if necessary.
The OSCE said the civilian observer team will gather information and report on the security situation "throughout the country". It did not specify whether that included Crimea, which Russia has annexed.
The OSCE, whose members also include European Union nations, Ukraine and the United States, makes decisions by consensus. Russia's approval could signify a slight de-escalation of tensions.
"This is not the end of the crisis, but it is a step that helps support our efforts toward de-escalation," said Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany's foreign minister. Reported by guardian.co.uk 8 hours ago.
The development followed more than a week of stonewalling by Russia of a push by all other members of the 57-nation Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe to send such a mission, which they hope will prevent an escalation of tensions in Ukraine's east and south regions that have large Russian-speaking populations.
Friday's decision calls for advance teams to be deployed within 24 hours. The mission, which has a six-month mandate, initially will consist of 100 observers; up to 400 extra monitors could be deployed if necessary.
The OSCE said the civilian observer team will gather information and report on the security situation "throughout the country". It did not specify whether that included Crimea, which Russia has annexed.
The OSCE, whose members also include European Union nations, Ukraine and the United States, makes decisions by consensus. Russia's approval could signify a slight de-escalation of tensions.
"This is not the end of the crisis, but it is a step that helps support our efforts toward de-escalation," said Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany's foreign minister. Reported by guardian.co.uk 8 hours ago.