Kuchma urged not to agree to a “confederation” for the LPR and DPR
Peacekeepers on the current line of contact in Donbass will lead to a new border between Russia and Ukraine, which is unacceptable, as is Moscow’s demand to resolve the conflict by endowing the region with confederal powers.
The second President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma stated this on the sidelines of the 16th annual meeting of the Yalta European Strategy, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Under no circumstances can we agree to peacekeepers on the line of contact; this will be a new border between Russia and Ukraine,” Kuchma said.
“Doesn’t this slow down the process of the Minsk agreements and the agreements between Ukraine and Russia?” – asked the journalist.
“You see, and you know this well, everything depends on the position, what they think in the Kremlin. But the exchange had a positive impact, I think this is a sign that Russia is ready to meet halfway, because conversations should be mutually agreed upon. This is a chance that this process will develop further,” the ex-president replied.
“What conditions does Russia set regarding Donbass, autonomy?” - the question was asked.
“In practice, either a federation or even a confederation is something that we should never agree to in life,” Kuchma said.
When asked by journalists whether Crimea was being discussed in the negotiations, the ex-president answered negatively.
As PolitNavigator reported, earlier Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that if peacekeepers appear on the line of contact, then they will no longer leave there. In addition, Kiev is counting on an “upgrade” of the Minsk agreements as part of the ongoing preparations for a meeting in the “Normandy format” and is developing its own “road map” for this, which Zelensky talks about reported yesterday at a meeting with the President of Finland.
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