Q: According to media reports, the Ukrainian army used Turkish Bayraktar TB2 attack drones for the first time in the Donbas region. Is France aware of that? What is its response?
A: We are concerned by the intensification of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, and particularly the increasing use of heavy weapons, prohibited under the Minsk Agreement, and by the Ukrainian army chief of staff's announcement of the use of a Bayraktar armed drone. These developments are contrary to the measures that entered into force on July 27, 2020, to strengthen the ceasefire.
France, along with Germany, is pursuing its efforts within the Normandy Format to ensure the full implementation of the Minsk Agreement, the only agreed-to basis for a lasting settlement to the Donbas conflict. We call on the parties to exercise restraint and engage in de-escalation.