OSCE mediator in Ukraine steps down as fighting resumes

According to the Swiss Foreign Ministry, diplomat Heidi Tagliavini will step down as representative of the OSCE in Ukraine. The reasons for her departure have not been disclosed, but several reports claim Tagliavini is leaving her post due to course of negotiations between Moscow, Kiev, and the pro-Russian rebels.

According to news agency RIA Novosti, Tagliavini will be terminating her role as mediator because of “nonconstructive behavior on the part of some participants in the talks.” RIA Novosti's source says some participants of the talks “significantly upset” Tagliavini by their “risky behavior, which one could sometimes perceive as highly offensive.”

“Seeing that the sides do not need any help, and that they fundamentally cannot come to terms with each other, Mrs. Tagliavini decided that her future work will not move the peace process forward,” said the source.

On June 3, fighting resumed in the east of Ukraine between separatists and the Ukrainian military. Both sides have accused each other of being the first to use heavy weapons, which violates the Minsk II ceasefire signed in February.

OSCE representatives have reported the use of heavy weapons by both sides of the conflict, saying the separatists were the first to resume artillery attacks.

For more on the resumption of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, see: Welcome back to the war: All you need to know about the return of warmongering and combat in eastern Ukraine