New cracks have appeared in the Minsk Agreement, with representatives of both OSCE and Ukraine expressing dissatisfaction with talks held in the Belarusian capital on Sept. 22-23.
Reports suggest that the Russian representatives have attempted to effectively blackmail Ukraine, using the threat of upcoming sham elections in the Donbas as leverage to extract promises in the negotiation.
The comments came separately from two members of the political issues subgroup, one of four working groups set up to implement the Minsk Agreement adopted on Feb 12. 2015. Its coordinator is French diplomat Pierre Morel, who previously served as a special representative of the EU in the 2008-2011 Georgian crisis. The other three groups focus on humanitarian, security, and economic affairs.
Martin Sadjik, the Austrian ambassador to the United Nations and the OSCE’s representative at the political talks, told Associated Press reporters he was disappointed by the intransigence of Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine. He described their plans to go ahead with elections as at odds with the Minsk agreement.
OSCE Deputy Spokesperson Natacha Rajakovic told Kyiv Post that the OSCE could not add to comments made by Sadjik as a special representative.
Ukrainian representative Roman Bezsmertniy spoke more explicitly to Channel 112. He reported that at the conference, Russia issued Ukraine with an ultimatum, listing the commitments Ukraine’s President and parliament would be expected to fulfil in order for Russia to block upcoming elections in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
He said that even experienced diplomat Pierre Morel was shocked by the demands.
The fourth article of the Minsk Agreement stipulates that immediately following a pullout of heavy weaponry from the Donbas, “a dialogue is to start on the modalities of conducting local elections in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation and the Law of Ukraine.” The twelfth article states that elections in Donetsk and Luhansk “will be held in accordance with relevant OSCE standards and monitored by OSCE/ODIHR.”
A pullout of heavy weapons has yet to take place. However, on July 2, Kremlin-backed separatist leader Oleksandr Zakharchenko announced his intention to hold elections in the Donetsk Oblast on Oct. 18. The self-proclaimed leader of Luhansk, Igor Plotnitskiy, followed suit on July 6, scheduling elections for Nov. 1.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has repeatedly said that these elections would be illegal under Ukrainian law and a violation of the Minsk Agreements. Elections in the Donbas can only take place when Russian heavy weapons have been withdrawn. His stance been supported by Western leaders.
Before the talks on Sept. 22, Verkhovna Rada deputy and member of the humanitarian subgroup Iryna Herashchenko wrote on Facebook “The key standpoint we, the representatives of Ukraine, will maintain today at every subgroup is that any fake elections on the occupied territories are inadmissible and must be cancelled.”
At around 12pm on Sept. 23, the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted that another round of negotiations had ended, just two hours after they began.
Sandra MacKenzie can be reached at [email protected]
