The DPR MFA called on the international community, first of all the mediators to the negotiation process in the person of the OSCE and representatives of the guarantor countries, to pay attention and make an official assessment of the extremely provocative statements from the deputy head of the Ukrainian delegation in Minsk, the Ministry’s press service reports.

“Firstly, the Ukrainian authorities have directly confirmed that their top priority is not to achieve peace in Donbass, but to maintain Western sanctions against the Russian Federation. Kiev has already repeatedly not only in words, but also in deeds showed that the fate of the residents of Donbass is the last thing of interest to Ukraine: civilians are shelled, the residents are deprived of electricity and water supply deliberately. We see a direct refusal from any negotiations with our representatives on practical issues of regulation, despite our regular calls to start such dialogue on the basis of written documents.

Secondly, in his statement Mr. Merezhko not only told about the absence of plans of the Ukrainian leadership to grant a special status to Donbass, but also openly made it clear about direct intention of Kiev to withdraw from the Minsk process. Accordingly, it is now clear what “plan B” Ukrainian officials have been talking about lately.

Thirdly, Ukraine intends not only to disrupt the implementation of the Minsk accords, but also to destroy the only existing basis for a peaceful resolution — the Complex of Measures, which, moreover, was approved not only by the guarantor countries, but also by the UN Security Council,” DPR Plenipotentiary and Foreign Minister Natalya Nikonorova noted.

She stressed that the task of the so-called increase in the level of participation of the Ukrainian delegation was the organization and preparation of Kiev’s withdrawal from the Minsk Agreements, with obvious attempts to shift the blame for this to one of the mediators and guarantors of the agreements. She reminded that it is on the Complex of Measures that all the existing agreements within the framework of the Minsk process are based. The signing of this document stopped the hot phase of the conflict.

“If Ukraine does decide to withdraw from the Minsk process, such a step can have unpredictable consequences. We officially declare that the blame will fall on the Ukrainian leadership in this case all,” Nikonorova added.