Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
AN AMERICAN MONITOR with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe died yesterday after a mission patrol vehicle hit a landmine in the Russian-backed separatist east, eliciting sharp words towards Moscow from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
It marked the first loss for the security body’s Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) since Europe’s only current war broke out more than three years ago.
The OSCE’s announcement about the US monitor’s death saw Kiev and the insurgents quickly trade blame over who was at fault for one of the most diplomatically sensitive episodes in a conflict that has claimed more than 10,000 lives.
The deputy head of the OSCE monitoring mission said the patrol consisted of six members who were travelling in two armoured vehicles near the village of Pryshyb in a rebel-run region of the separatist fiefdom of Lugansk.
“The explosion resulted in the death of an OSCE patrol member, a citizen of the United States,” Alexander Hug told reporters in Kiev.
He also said two others — a German and a Czech national — were wounded and “undergoing further evaluation” in a Lugasnk hospital.
The OSCE said it would not release the names of the casualties until their families had been notified.
“We are determined to continue to implement our mandate,” Hug stressed.
‘Obstacle’ to better ties
Tillerson in a phone conversation Sunday with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Moscow’s actions in eastern Ukraine remain an obstacle to improved US-Russian ties, the State Department said.
“Secretary Tillerson phoned Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko today to discuss his recent trip to Moscow and his message to the Russian leadership that, although the United States is interested in improving relations with Russia, Russia’s actions in eastern Ukraine remain an obstacle,” said acting spokesman Mark Toner.
The statement said Tillerson accepted Poroshenko’s “condolences” for the death of the American.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the blast underscored the need for the warring sides to “finally respect” a long-ignored ceasefire agreement negotiated by Moscow and Kiev with the help of Paris and Berlin in February 2015.
“The separatists supported by Russia who illegally occupy part of Ukrainian territory by violence have a special responsibility here,” Merkel said in a strongly-worded statement.
EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said the incident was a “reminder of the urgent need for progress on a peaceful resolution of the conflict”.
Both Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of plotting and backing the fighting in reprisal for the February 2014 ouster of Ukraine’s Kremlin-backed leadership.
Russia denies this and in turn accuses the US State Department of fomenting the 2013-14 street protests that ended up allying ex-Soviet Ukraine with the West.
The OSCE team’s 600 members in eastern Ukraine are the only independent monitoring mission in the devastated industrial war zone.
They provide daily reports on the fighting and have drawn the insurgents’ ire for accusing them of being responsible for most violations of the truce deal.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Musk is a genius, he makes cars that self-combust and then tanks one of the biggest social media platforms in the world within 12 months, no wonder racists think he’s amazing.
@Tariq ibn Ziyad: Musk didn’t buy Twitter to make money.
The Biden administration was investigating Musk & were going to put him in jail for a long time. The Republicans/Conservatives didn’t care much for Elon as they considered him an odd man who made electric cars.
Then he bought Twitter unbanned the Republican/Conservative voices on the platform & gave them their cherished ‘free speech’.
Now he is a hero to the Republicans/Conservatives & they give him the political protection he needs to avoid being imprisoned by Biden.
Sure he lost US$20bn but it’s a small price to pay to avoid imprisonment by Biden.
Musk had better stick to blowing up rockets for now coz zuckerberg in coming for ye
Love him or hate him, Musk allows free speech on Twitter – something we are about to lose in Ireland if McEntee’s Hate Speech Bill goes ahead without serious amendments.
@Pat the Baker: of course, if you truly believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you
@Pat the Baker: Musk banned loads of journalists from Twitter who had been reporting on him? He also fired people at Twitter who disagreed with him? https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/15/23512004/elon-musk-starts-banning-critical-journalists-from-twitter
More intrested in the fight between him and zugger
@Dave: It’ll be some craic if Mcgreggor was the Ref
have your say