Kiev Says Fired Representative In Minsk Contact Group To Form Effective Team For Talks

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2019) The Office of the Ukrainian President said on Tuesday that Roman Bezsmertny, Kiev's former representative in the political subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine, was fired as Kiev is currently forming "the most effective team" for the Minsk talks led by former President Leonid Kuchma.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy relieved Bezsmertny, who represented Kiev in the political subgroup between 2015 and 2016 before being reappointed to the position in early July, from his position.

"The president delegated defending Ukraine's positions in the difficult negotiating process to second President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma. We are currently forming the most effective team under his leadership that will be able to effectively defend positions of Ukraine in the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk," the presidential office said, commenting on Bezsmertny's dismissal.

In April 2014, the Ukrainian government launched an offensive against self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk people's republics, which proclaimed independence after what they considered a coup in Ukraine two months earlier.

Since September 2014, peace in the region has been mediated by the Minsk Contact Group, which was created after the Normandy format talks. Despite the fact that several documents on de-escalation measures have been adopted over this time, the warring parties continue to violate the ceasefire.