KIEV, December 16. /TASS/. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadim Pristayko has expressed hope that the Contact Group for the settlement in eastern Ukraine would be able to approve another prisoner swap and ceasefire by the end of 2019.
"There are three main events set to take place before the end of the year, which will help us see whether we can expect progress. Firstly, this includes the "all approved for all approved" prisoner swap, however, we have to take into account that we must implement the "all for all" formula. Secondly, it includes a comprehensive, permanent and stable ceasefire. It will be announced on December 20 or 21," he said on Monday in an interview with the UNIAN news agency.
The minister added that "another important event" might take place this week. "On our request, the Red Cross will attempt to cross the line [of contact] and take part in the investigation into the whereabouts of, according to different estimations, nearly 500 people that are reported missing," Pristayko said.
Areas of disengagement of forces
According to the foreign minister, Ukraine expects to coordinate three or four disengagement areas, which will be vital in terms of the humanitarian situation.
"We believe that at this stage disengagement should be carried out at those areas, which are of high humanitarian importance. This is a priority at these three or four areas, or whichever we manage to agree on," Pristaiko told Ukraine’s UNIAN news agency.
Ukraine hopes to achieve agreement on these disengagement areas as soon as possible. "Even the next meeting [on December 18] would suit us," the minister commented.
Implementation of 'Steinmeier formula' into law
Pristaiko went on to say that Ukraine is ready to integrate the "Steinmeier formula" into the law on a special procedure for local self-governance in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
"We are ready to take this step [implement the "Steinmeier formula" — TASS] by integrating it into Ukraine’s legislation. There is every likelihood that it will be integrated into the special status law," he told Ukraine’s UNIAN news agency.
To implement the formula, Ukraine needs to pass a law [on local elections in the Donbass region], which doesn’t exist yet, Pristaiko continued. "The ‘Steinmeier formula’ has become a compromise to some extent, but it cannot resolve all issues. Here we need everyone’s good will, including our partners who should certify the elections and say that the elections have indeed been held. <…> The ‘Steinmeier formula’ will finally work if all elements are in place," he concluded.
Adjustment of Minsk Agreements
The Minsk Agreements need to be adjusted, however, so far, there is no need for their complete overhaul, Vadim Pristayko stated.
"They [the Minsk Agreements] are actually unrealistic, at least because they have terminological and chronological faults. For example, the dates have long passed. At the very least, we can consider their adjustment. Let’s say, changing the dates. An adjustment of a certain configuration of the Minsk Agreements is also possible. So far, neither Ukraine, nor Russia nor the international community are ready for a complete overhaul of the Minsk Agreements," Pristayko told the UNIAN news agency.
The participants in the Normandy Four summit held in Paris on December 9 approved a communique. One of its paragraphs is dedicated to the political part of the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbass and the mechanism for implementing the relevant provisions of the Minsk Agreements. The issue at hand is, in particular, the need to provide a legislative framework for a special procedure for local self-governance of separate districts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. The participants in the summit also highlighted the need to include the "Steinmeier formula" in Ukraine’s legislation in the form that was agreed on by the Normandy Four and the Contact Group.
Steinmeier formula
In late 2015, the then German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier put forward a plan that later became known as the "Steinmeier Formula." The plan stipulates that special status be granted to Donbass in accordance with the Minsk Agreements. In particular, the document envisages that Ukraine’s special law on local self-governance will take effect in certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions on a temporary basis on the day of local elections, becoming permanent after the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) issues a report on the vote’s results.