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Kiev’s choice of Donbass ‘representatives’ indicates policy of further separation — expert

The former high-ranking official with Ukraine’s fourth President Viktor Yanukovich's administration outspokenly called one of the new members of the political subgroup, journalist Denis Kazansky, a "Poroshenko’s bot" who, according to him, is involved in propaganda of violence

© Andrei Ratmirov/TASS

KIEV, June 9. /TASS/. Kiev’s involvement of Donbass "representatives" for talks within the political sub-group of the Trilateral Contact Group will not facilitate the peace process, says Andrei Portnov, Ukrainian lawyer and former Deputy Chief of Staff of Ukraine’s fourth President Viktor Yanukovich.

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"They are not bearers of the ideology of peaceful resolution," Portnov wrote in his Telegram channel, commenting on the new delegates, announced by the Ukrainian President’s Office.

He outspokenly called one of the new members of the political subgroup, journalist Denis Kazansky, a "Poroshenko’s bot, directly involved in propaganda of war, murders and violence in Donbass."

According to Portnov, such choices of the Ukrainian authorities will lead to escalation of conflict. "I can’t even call it stupidity; I see a rather different trend here. Your actions are directed at further policy of separation and isolation of […] territory," Portnov wrote, addressing the official Kiev. "It turns out that this political and electoral ideology of yours is to even further confrontation and conflict in the end."

Besides, according to the former official, such a decision is a "hidden form of separatism," by which the Ukrainian authorities have "mothballed its public obligations on achievement of peace."

Portnov believes that new appointments indicate that the current Ukrainian authorities are oriented towards the "lost minority, the radicals and political trash of the previous regime."

On Tuesday, the political subgroup met for the first time with extended membership of the Ukrainian delegation. Former Donbass residents — journalists Denis Kazansky and Sergey Garmash, known for their "pro-Maidan" views; lawyer and chairman of the Luganskoye Zemlyachestvo public organization Vadim Goran; and medic Konstantin Libster — have been involved in the negotiations.

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