Kiev Should Refrain From Forceful Scenarios Of Donbas Conflict Resolution - Russian Envoy

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th May, 2020) Kiev should refrain from using forceful scenarios to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Boris Gryzlov, Russia's representative in the Trilateral Contact Group to resolve the situation in Ukraine, said on Thursday.

"I hope that a sense of political self-preservation will tell Kiev that it should refrain from trying to implement forceful scenarios. We must firmly follow the path of a peaceful settlement of the Donbas conflict in accordance with the package of measures to implement the Minsk agreements," Gryzlov said after the contact group's meeting.

The Ukrainian delegation is sabotaging the political issues of resolving the Donbas crisis, Gryzlov noted.

"The Russian delegation proposed that Ukraine's obligation to add to the protocol of the Contact Group Ukraine's obligation to integrate the Steinmeier formula into the law on specifics of local self-government in Donbas within one week.

The Ukrainian delegation refused to do this," he said.

The video conference of the contact group was on the verge of collapse due to Kiev's positions, as its representatives refused direct dialogue with representatives of Donetsk and Luhansk, Gryzlov said.

He noted that the situation had been especially aggravated at the meetings of the subgroups due to new composition of Kiev's representatives. In addition, Kiev's representatives have been actively trying recently to "squeeze out" representatives of Donetsk and Luhansk from working groups and the contact group, he added.