NATO: The situation in eastern Ukraine has shown signs of easing.

According to the NATO Secretary General, although sporadic clashes still occur, in general the situation in this region has shown signs of calming down.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on January 11 that fighting between Ukrainian troops and opposition forces in the East has shown signs of easing, but warned that the situation remains unstable and difficult. Humanitarian conditions remain very worrying.

According to Mr. Stoltenberg, although sporadic clashes still occur, in general the situation has shown signs of calming down.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Photo: Reuters)

However, similar to previous statements, Mr. Stoltenberg once again emphasized the presence of Russian military personnel in the eastern Ukraine region to support opposition forces, despite Russia's repeated denials.

The statement was made in the context that German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steimeier will meet with the foreign ministers of Russia, France and Ukraine in Berlin on January 12 to discuss the progress made in implementing the Minsk peace agreement and determine whether conditions are sufficient to hold a four-party summit.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called on the leaders of France, Germany and Russia to attend high-level discussions in Kazakhstan later this month to restore peace.

However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently warned that such a conference could only take place if there was real progress in implementing the Minsk agreement.

Since breaking out last April, the conflict in eastern Ukraine has claimed the lives of 4,700 people and pushed relations between Russia and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War./.

According to VOV