MOSCOW, November 25. /TASS/. Kiev is demonstrating a total degradation of its position on issues of political settlement in Donbass, Boris Gryzlov, Russia’s chief negotiator in the Contact Group on the settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine, said on Wednesday after the Contact Group’s regular meeting.
"The Ukrainian side refused to do anything to agree with Donbass a roadmap for a comprehensive political settlement of the conflict in line with the Minsk agreements and insisted on the discussion of an isolated law on Donbass’ special status, which has proved inefficient," he said.
"Donetsk’s and Lugansk’s remarks that Kiev is reluctant to conduct any dialogue on the special status parameters, which is envisaged by the Package of Measures of March 2015, were ignored. Our recommendation that the sides should discuss parameters of the future co-existence of Ukraine and Donbass stipulated by the draft roadmaps was supported by Donetsk and Lugansk but turned down by Kiev. It is a clear and total degradation of the Ukrainian authorities’ political position demonstrating their unreadiness for substantive talks with the other party to the conflict," he said.
According to the Russian chief negotiator, Ukraine continues to block the work of the Contact Group in all areas. "During today’s meeting of the Contact Group, the Ukrainian delegation again demonstrated its unwillingness to follow the path of peaceful settlement and used various invented pretexts to frustrate the talks," he said. "The work of the Contact Group is still blocked by Kiev in all areas."
"Ukrainian negotiators ignored Donetsk’s and Lugansk’s demand that Kiev return to the implementation of its commitments under the ceasefire enhancement agreements. It is necessary to have Ukraine resume implementation of its liabilities under the ceasefire," Gryzlov said.
"Ukraine’s authorities have gone beyond all reason, continuing to shell civilians and infrastructure facilities in Donbass and flaunting in the press the use of combat drones that are prohibited by the Minsk accords and the ceasefire agreement," he noted. Moreover, "Kiev continues to illegally keep Lugansk’s representative to the Joint Coordination and Control Center."
"Head of the OSCE SMM (Special Monitoring Mission) Yasar Halit Cevik confirmed that the use of drones is a violation [of the ceasefire agreement] but refuted reports of the use of Bayraktar drones in Donbass. The Donbass representatives’ question why the Ukrainian army command is making openly false statements about violations of the existing agreements remained unanswered," Gryzlov added.