Peaceful negotiations or reinforcement of the de-facto frontline borders are plans A and B that the Ukrainian government has for resolving the Russian-Ukrainian war in the Donbas, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko.
“These plans were developed and proposed to the president (Volodymyr Zelensky). And it’s his goal, the person who you elected president, to make these difficult, unpleasant, complex decisions,” Prystaiko said during the “Freedom of Speech” political talk show on Oct. 4.
Plan A envisages reaching agreements that Russia would fulfill at the Normandy Four meetings – leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.
“We are making the first steps to have a meeting … to sit and, if possible … reach an agreement that Russia would fulfill under pressure of our Western partners,” Prystaiko said.
The war started by Russia in 2014 has killed over 13,000 people, injured at least 30,000 and displaced at least 1.5 million. If a peaceful plan to end the conflict fails, the government will consider reinforcing the de-facto borders with the self-proclaimed militant republics backed by the Russian army.
“Then we’ll have fewer and fewer options, we’ll have the last plan … One of the plans is how to make sure that the terrorists that blow up cars in Kyiv … and Mariupol won’t pass through our border, which is now established de-facto, but in reality is just a part of the (Ukrainian) territory,” Prystaiko said.
On Oct. 1, members of the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine – Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe agreed to a peace process known as the “Steinmeier Formula.”
It envisages that the occupied areas of eastern Ukraine get a “special territorial status” after they hold local elections. The elections have to take place in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation and be approved by the OSCE.
A key condition for the elections to take place is for the Russian forces and Russian-backed militants to leave the territory and for Ukraine to regain control over the eastern border with Russia, according to Zelensky.
Under the 2014 Minsk talks protocol signed by Ukraine, the “special territorial status” will give the separatists territorial autonomy inside Ukraine. This includes the right to have “people’s militia formations” (in fact, their own armed forces), to have cross-border cooperation with Russia, to appoint prosecutors and judges “under a special procedure,” to facilitate the use of Russian language in public domains and to enjoy privileges over state budget allocations.
The Ukrainian parliament has already approved a provisional law on “special territorial status” in September 2014 as part of the Minsk process and formally renewed it each year since then. But Zelensky says this law would expire after Dec. 31, 2019, and parliament would make new legislation.
“In this new law, no ‘red lines’ will be crossed,” Zelensky said. “Therefore, there can be no capitulation.” He did not specify what the red lines were.
