During a political talk show at a Ukrainian TV channel, Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Alexey Reznikov, who is also the deputy head of the Ukrainian delegation in Minsk, literally said that Ukraine was not going to implement the Minsk Agreements as they are, DPR Foreign Minister Natalya Nikonorova commented on his statement.
“Such an approach is no news for us, because every meeting of the Contact Group we see Ukrainian delegates doing everything to get away from their commitments on the Complex of Measures. But we ask the international community, the guarantor countries to the Minsk Agreements and the OSCE mediators to pay attention to such statements from Ukraine’s official representative to Minsk.
Mr. Reznikov’s further rhetoric is very indicative: having admitted that Ukraine would not fulfill the Minsk Agreements, the Ukrainian Vice Premier did not try to constructively think out how it would be possible to bring the peace in Donbass closer nonetheless within the existing diplomatic plan, but he frankly substituted the notions and distorted the whole essence of the Minsk process. They pass off the causes of the conflict in Donbass as if the main goal of the people living here is to hold local elections, that they should be held as soon as possible, ideally in October, simultaneously with the elections in Ukraine.
Such reasoning demonstrates very clearly that the new Ukrainian leadership does not understand the real origins of the conflict, which erupted because the people of Donbass rejected the values the Kiev authorities imposed, and desires to live by its own rules. Accordingly, the conflict can be solved only by granting a special status to Donbass. The Ukrainian side is trying to make everybody forget about this key demand, which is the foundation of the entire political reconciliation. They misrepresent the situation fundamentally, that we went to the protests in 2014 allegedly because we wanted the local elections to be held.
However, we will never allow Ukrainian officials to twist the reality for their own interest: the conflict can be settled only when Kiev finally begins to negotiate with us on all the aspects of further coexistence without exception, which are set out in the Complex of Measures. So, if the Ukrainian authorities want local elections to be held in Donbass so badly this October, they must legislatively ensure that the permanent special status of Donbass is enshrined in the Constitution by August, and coordinate all its political aspects not with some immigrants the same authorities appointed, but with representatives of the republics, those who have been living, working and suffering Ukrainian shelling here all the way through the conflict.
In addition, Kiev should guarantee by law that all those involved in the events in Donbass will not be prosecuted and punished, as provided for by the Complex of Measures. By the way, the Kiev authorities easily did that with regard to those involved in the events in Maidan. Only when the Ukrainian side implements all these steps, it will be possible to negotiate the parameters of holding the elections, which Kiev wants so badly.
We call on the Ukrainian authorities not to distort the essence of the Minsk Agreements, it will not help Kiev regain the trust of Donbass. Negotiating directly with representatives of the republics — the second party to the conflict — openly, transparently and in good faith only can bring real progress in peace talks,” Natalya Nikonorova stated.