OREANDA-NEWS. OSCE Chairperson, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde visited the Zolote checkpoint in Donbass and said that her visit to the contact line "opened her eyes." She herself saw that the conflict in Ukraine continues, people are still dying.

The press service of the State Border Service of Ukraine said that on Wednesday Linde, together with the Ukrainian delegation, was at the Zolote checkpoint and got acquainted with the situation on the demarcation line in Donbass. In particular, she examined the infrastructure of the checkpoint after the reconstruction and got acquainted with the procedure for its functioning.

As Linde herself said, “It is symbolic for me that I am in eastern Ukraine and have the opportunity to speak with you at the checkpoint in Zolote. It was here that I met with the local authorities, and they told me about the humanitarian situation, the efforts they are making to to make life easier for the civilian population. My visit directly to the contact line opened my eyes even more, and now I really see that the war in Ukraine is still ongoing, there are still casualties and deaths of people. "

It is reported that the delegation was also familiarized with the security policy at the checkpoint and assured that all points in the area of the Joint Forces operation are ready to carry out border operations, but the militias, according to the authorities, allegedly in every possible way prevent citizens from passing through the contact line.

Ann Linde was in Ukraine on January 19-20, within the framework of her first visit in this position, where she met with Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and President Volodymyr Zelensky. Sweden is chairing the OSCE in 2021.