Lukashevich: Does Kyiv really believe Donbas representatives` aim is to secede from Ukraine?

Friday, April 22, 2016 - 17:15 (EEST) Section: Latest news

Russian Permanent Representative to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich is outraged that Western countries, as well as Ukraine call the pro-Russian militants in Donbas ”separatists,” according to the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
”We cannot fail to notice that not only Western counterparts, but also representatives of the Ukrainian delegation use terminology not envisaged by the ”package of measures,” namely they calling Donbas militants ”separatists.” If the first mentioned counterparts may be forgiven for ignorance, then we have a question to our Ukrainian colleagues: does Kyiv really believe that the aim of the representatives of Donbas at the talks in Minsk is to secede from Ukraine? Or is it Kyiv`s goal?” Lukashevich said at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on Friday.
According to him, in recent weeks, the political situation in Ukraine has changed significantly.
”A large number of divergent statements from political figures indicate that with the change of government in Ukraine, not only additional settlement possibilities have appeared, but also additional risks,” he said.
In particular, Lukashevich is cautious about the establishment of the Ukrainian Ministry on temporarily occupied territories and IDPs.
”Obviously, Kyiv does not think that, by signing the Minsk ”package of measures,” Donbas agreed to live in a single Ukrainian state on the conditions envisaged in this document. This logic implies a further secession of Donbas from Ukraine, or an attempt to force Donbas to return to Ukraine by military means,” he said.
In addition, Lukashevich said that the Russian Federation had drawn attention to the statement by Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Rozenko on ”termination of social benefits, including pensions of Donbas residents living in the occupied territories.”
”This also applies to those who lived in other regions of Ukraine as IDPs, but return to Donbas. Time will tell whether it is motivated by a banal greed or the desire to further break Donbas away from Ukraine,” Lukashevich said.