Prisoner swap efforts in Donbas to proceed only through ICRC, int’l partners - Harmash
The opinion was expressed by Serhiy Harmash, a Ukrainian journalist who is one of the Ukrainian delegates to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ukrinform reports.
He has clarified that he now considers himself a former TCG member.
"Officially, there is no information in our chats (internal chats of the Ukrainian delegation of the TCG - ed.). But I think there can no longer be a Trilateral Contact Group, as it operates based on the Minsk agreements. Minsk accords see the certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as Ukrainian territory and envisage restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty in that territory.” Harmash explained.
The journalist noted that it is now necessary to "find our place in a new reality" where the nation has to be more decisive and principled than was the case with the Trilateral Contact Group.
He believes that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are unlikely now, as Russia is not willing to discuss the occupied territories. In this regard, he added, hope remains only for the mediation of Western partners.
"We will have to rely on the mediation of our Western partners, seek their support, in particular in humanitarian issues – including the swaps, as this issue remains open. It is unclear with whom we should negotiate now... We know that the exchanges were executed at the political level. In other words, Yermak negotiated directly with Kozak, Zelensky called and negotiated directly with Putin back in the day... Now, I think, this should be done through the Red Cross, through international mediators," he said.
Harmash added he did not see a diplomatic solution to the Moscow-Kyiv conflict in general, while sanction pressure on the part of the West might help.
"But so far the West is reacting really weakly, it seems. And this only encourages Putin to increase his military pressure on Ukraine and expand aggression," he said.
"That's why I'm not ready to talk about diplomacy. And today diplomacy has shown that it is incapable, that Putin simply does not react to diplomacy. He only reacts to the execution of his ultimatums. And here is the question of whether we are ready to accept ultimatums or not. It seems to me that the price of such ultimatums is very high, they want us to give up our independence, our sovereignty, our right, things we choose, how we live, whom to be friends with, to choose our own path. So I believe today diplomacy is receding into the background. Today we need to talk about the position of strength," Harmash concluded.
As reported earlier, on February 21, the Russian president signed decrees recognizing two self-proclaimed entities in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. The agreements concluded between the quasi-republics and Russia provide for Russian military assistance under the pretext of “peacekeeping” efforts.
