The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the release of the four members of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine that were kept in captivity since May 26.

This long-awaited event is a significant shift in the context of de-escalation of the situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as foreseen by the peace plan of Ukraine’s President P.Poroshenko.

We call upon the Russian side to use its influence to ensure unconditional release of the four other OSCE SMM member still held by armed groups.

The release of all OSCE SMM members and ensuring proper observation of the Mission - is of exceptional international importance that cannot be held hostage to any political or security process.

The MFA of Ukraine also call on all sides to respect the diplomatic status and inviolability of the OSCE SMM members, who work in our country on the invitation of the Ukrainian side in accordance with the OSCE Permanent Council decision that was adopted by all 57 OSCE participating states.