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Kremlin balks at interpreting Kiev’s call to disband Donbass republics

The Kremlin spokesman recalled that the Minsk agreements had been backed with the participation of the Donbass republics' representatives

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov Mikhail Metzel/TASS

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov

© Mikhail Metzel/TASS

MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/. The Kremlin is unsure whether Kiev’s demand to disband the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk republics means Ukraine is refusing to fulfill the Minsk deal, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

Peskov commented on Kiev’s statement that disbanding "quasi-state structures" of the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics should be one of conditions for implementing the Minsk deal.

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"Here, we can definitely say that this new background information comes as a surprise to Moscow, Berlin and Paris. It is difficult now to comment on whether this translates to a retreat from the Minsk agreements or a refusal to meet the commitments or a withdrawal of signatures - this is unclear now," Peskov said.

Peskov recalled that the Minsk agreements had been backed with the participation of the LPR and DPR representatives. "This package of measures was initialed by the republics’ representatives and its finalizing as a document would have been impossible without reaching an accord with these republics’ representatives. This is what happened in Minsk," he stressed.

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