It should be noted that the ceasefire is one of the steps towards resolving the situation and holding elections in the territories of Donbass..

At the same time, the settlement of the conflict, according to the Minsk agreements, should end with elections in certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions..

Elections in the temporarily occupied territories are possible under the following conditions:.

-after a comprehensive de-escalation;

-after the withdrawal of foreign military units and equipment, disarmament of illegal armed formations;

-restoring control by the Ukrainian government over the Ukrainian-Russian border;

-elections must take place exclusively in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine;

-Elections must be in compliance with Copenhagen standards.

It is also emphasized that the Ukrainian side has handed over the lists of persons for mutual release and is expecting a list from the other side..

As previously reported, the European Union introduces new sanctions against the Russian Federation. This became known after Germany's proposal to impose joint joint sanctions against Russia due to a large-scale hacker attack by the GRU on the Bundestag and Angela Merkel personally. Now the EU is close to this step.