Prystaiko says what Ukraine expects from Russia in Donbas

Russia is already able to take concrete steps to resolve the armed conflict in Donbas. In particular, it can withdraw its military personnel and weapons from the region and stop financing ORDLO.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

“In fact, Putin’s decision is enough for Russia to start moving towards direction that everyone wants, primarily Ukraine. There are concrete steps that could be taken right now. For example, Russia can withdraw its military personnel and mercenaries from the occupied Donbas, stop to finance certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (ORDLO), thanks to which Russia feeds these territories because they are clearly not self-sufficient, give the command to withdraw heavy weapons from Ukraine and not to issue Russian passports anymore,” Prystaiko said.

He noted that Russia had brought a lot of equipment and shells to the occupied Donbas. “They can shell our military forever and a day. That is why we do not want to wait for the sixth, seventh or eighth year, but use the sanction pressure of Europe as a chance to force Russia to make concessions,” the foreign minister stressed.

On October 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine had agreed to the text of the "Steinmeier formula." According to him, the document envisages the approval in Ukraine of a temporary law on a special status for Donbas, which will come into force if the OSCE recognizes local elections in occupied territories of Donbas, held under Ukrainian law, as democratic.

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