Mikko Kinnunen, Special Representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office in Ukraine, said participants expressed their determination to fully adhere to the Measures to Strengthen the Ceasefire agreement of July 22, 2020.

Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for recent violations of the ceasefire in Donbass, eastern Ukraine, which helped significantly reduce the number of casualties last year. According to the special monitoring mission reports, the security situation along the contact line remains volatile, with about five times more ceasefire violations on average per day recorded in December 2021 compared with December 2020.