EU accuses fighters in the Ukraine conflicts of peace deal violation

The European Union (EU) said on Wednesday that recent escalating attacks in eastern Ukraine have violated the peace agreement signed in February.

"The renewed escalation of the conflict raising the number of casualties, as a result of attacks on several government- controlled areas today and in the night of Aug. 10 on Starohnativka, violates the spirit and the letter of the Minsk Agreements," the EU said in a statement.

On Monday, Ukrainian officials accused rebels of carrying out the heaviest shelling since the truce was agreed upon.

The EU urged all parties involved in the Ukraine conflict to comply with the peace deal, which was agreed in Minsk mid-February, saying "it is the basis for a sustainable solution of the conflict in full respect of Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"The Minsk Agreements must be implemented in good faith, starting with full observation of the ceasefire and genuine withdrawal of heavy weapons," the statement said.

In its statement, the EU condemned recent incidents targeting the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), who were monitoring and verifying the implementation of the Minsk Agreements.

The OSCE monitors were caught in crossfire in Shchastya and Shyrokyne on Sunday, and the mission's armored vehicles were attacked, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, the EU called for a continuation of diplomatic dialogue between pro-independence rebels and the Ukrainian government.

Starting in April 2014, the conflict in eastern Ukraine has claimed the lives of more than 6,800 people and wounded almost 17,100, according to the latest United Nations estimates.

The intensity of hostilities has eased since the Minsk Agreements were reached, but the peace deal has not brought an end to the conflict. There are fears now that the fighting could escalate once again into a full-scale war.