U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker has said Ukraine has demonstrated the political will to comply with the Minsk agreements, but there were no actions taken by the other party to the peace accords.
“A peacekeeping proposal can work – and ensure the safety of all residents of eastern Ukraine – but Russia has to choose peace … Ukraine has demonstrated the political will to implement Minsk. The issue is there has not been action from the other side,” Volker said on Twitter, citing his presentation at the Washington, D.C.-based Hudson Institute think tank.
According to Volker, a hot war in Donbas is in progress that kills people every day. “The need to work toward a resolution is urgent,” he said.
“If Moscow was hoping to create a more Russia-friendly government in Kyiv, the plan is not working,” Volker said in another tweet.
According to the Kyiv-based news portal LB.ua, during the panel discussion at the Institute, Volker said the self-proclaimed pro-Russia Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR/LPR) must be scrapped.
“The DPR and the LPR, which were created by Russia in order to mask their role and perpetuate the conflict must be liquidated,” LB.ua quoted Volker as saying.
The U.S. special representative said for the DPR/LPR “there is no place in Ukraine’s Constitution. The Minsk accords were reached to restore the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and these formations must disappear,” Volker said, adding that six months after the deployment of a full United Nations peacekeeping mission to Donbas may be required to prepare for local elections in the areas of eastern Ukraine that are not controlled by Kyiv.
