Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaking at a joint news conference with Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders in Moscow today. via Reuters:
"We hope that the coordinated line of contact will actually enable the so-called regime of silence and the beginning of the withdrawal of heavy armaments on both sides of the line."
"We have hopes for the cease-fire announced today. It is not the first such announcement, but this current step was very well prepared. There were talks between representatives of the sides of the conflict, and Russian officers were helping with it under a request from [Ukrainian] President [Petro] Poroshenko."
I believe this was part of the leaked coalition agreement.
Ukraine's EU ambassador, Kostiantyn Yelisieiev, speaking today on the security situation in eastern Ukraine at an event organized by the European Policy Center (EPC) think tank in Brussels:
"In my view, what needs to be done is first of all try to safeguard solidarity and unity inside the European Union because the main target, the main objective of the Kremlin is to try to disrupt the unity inside the European Union."
"Even the recent decision of Moscow to stop implementing the famous South Stream project -- it [comes from the] the idea how to best try to split the European Union and how best to try to instigate internal instability inside the European Union. Currently you know that by stopping this project, South Stream, Russia would like to put all of the responsibility of failure on the shoulders of the European Union."
From our correspondent in Brussels, Rikard Jozwiak:
BRUSSELS -- Ukraine's ambassador to the European Union, Kostiantyn Yelisieiev, has accused Russia of seeking to sow discord within the EU.
Yelisieiev was speaking at an event organized by the European Policy Center (EPC) think-tank in Brussels on December 9.
He said that "what needs to be done is first of all try to safeguard solidarity and unity inside the European Union because the main target, the main objective of the Kremlin is to try to disrupt the unity inside the European Union."
Yelisieiev said he believes that was a motive in Russia's decision announced to scrap South Stream project to pipe gas under the Black Sea and into Europe.
He said Russia is thinking about "how to best try to split the European Union."
Moscow has accused the EU of scuttling South Stream, but EU officials say Russian gas company Gazprom has refused to abide by EU competition rules.