“I am gravely concerned by the reports of escalation of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine and its implications for the two member states of the Council of Europe, Russia and Ukraine,” said Anne Brasseur, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

“On Tuesday in Paris, I will meet with the Speaker of the Russian State Duma, Sergey Naryshkin, together with the leaders of the Parliamentary Assembly’s political groups. These increasingly worrying developments, including reports of direct involvement or Russian troops will certainly be on the agenda. I will also make contacts with the Speaker of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, Oleksandr Turchynov, in order to obtain clarification of unfolding events in the region.”