The fact that the Russian Federation has moved to recognize the so-called passports issued by self-proclaimed authorities of the occupied areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine can complicate the process of the conflict settlement in eastern Ukraine, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in an interview with Kommersant.
Admitting that on the one hand, it is important for local residents to have some type of travel documents, Grandi said that on the other hand, no steps should be taken to complicate the Minsk peace process, Kommersant reports.
The official emphasized that the main task was to achieve settlement.
Earlier, February 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the recognition by the Russian Federation of ”travel documents”, ”issued to Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons who reside in the territory of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, until the political settlement of the situation in these areas.”
