KIEV, December 1. /TASS/. US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker has taken an inconsistent stance on the Minsk agreements on the settlement in the Donbass region, Kiev’s envoy to the Contact Group’s humanitarian subgroup and leader of the Ukrainian choice - People’s Right movement, Viktor Medvedchuk, said.
"His [Volker’s - TASS] statements that it will be impossible to resolve the armed conflict in the Donbass region and that active hostilities could last for another year with a probability of no less than 80% give rise to doubts whether Volker is professional enough to act as a negotiator," Medvedchuk’s press service quotes him as saying. He stressed that this stance can hardly be called consistent.
Medvedchuk also expressed doubts that the US envoy is duly informed about the situation in the Donbass region and the parties’ capabilities in terms of the implementation of the Minsk agreements. The Ukrainian envoy noted that the parties would like to hear specific proposals from Volker rather than his pessimistic forecasts. "The United States has declared that there is no alternative to the Minsk agreements. Therefore, it would be logical to expect Volker to implement ‘peace policy’ in Ukraine instead of confessing to his incapability and making dire forecasts. "A consistent and principled stance is required in the cause of achieving peace," Medvedchuk stressed, adding that Kiev is awaiting a clear signal from the United States indicating that the Minsk agreements will be complied with.
Volker said on November 27 that the conflict in southeastern Ukraine is likely to continue throughout 2018. He also noted that it is difficult to make efforts to resolve the situation.