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DPR, LPR say Contact Group talks yield no results because of Kiev's position

LPR's envoy to the Minsk talks Vladislav Deinego said Kiev's representatives refused to discuss "real measures to establish a ceasefire regime"

The self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) envoy to the Contact Group Vladislav Deinego Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

The self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) envoy to the Contact Group Vladislav Deinego

© Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

LUGANSK, April 18. /TASS/. The videoconference of participants in the Contact Group on settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine has yielded no results because of Kiev's unconstructive position, the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) envoy to the Minsk talks Vladislav Deinego said on Thursday.

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Contact Group fails to reach agreement on ceasefire in Donbass — Russia's envoy

"The videoconference of the Contact Group, as well as of the working sub-group on security, yielded no results. Representatives of the current Kiev authorities took a very unconstructive position by refusing to discuss with Donbass representatives the real measures to establish a ceasefire regime," LuganskInformCenter quoted Deinego as saying.

At the Minsk talks, Kiev's representatives "were trying to talk about anything other than real steps that would help to ensure a stable ceasefire," he added.

The foreign ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) also attributed the failure to establish ceasefire to Kiev's position. "Unfortunately, the lack of common sense of the Ukrainian side which continues to fight against Russia in their fantasies, has made everything to prevent reaching consensus on the most important task — to ensure a comprehensive and stable ceasefire, thus establishing a precedent of failing to coordinate a truce," Donetsk News Agency quoted the DPR foreign ministry as saying.

"Of course, we are interested in the soonest coordination of the ceasefire ahead of the Easter holidays, but it is obvious that this is only possible if additional control measures are taken. We hope that at the upcoming meeting in Minsk on April 24 the Ukrainian side will tone down its political ambitions and will support peaceful initiatives on establishing a real 'Easter ceasefire'," the DPR foreign ministry noted.

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Ukraine crisis Ukraine Eastern Ukraine Contact Group on Ukraine

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