MOSCOW, July 29./TASS/. The bill, registered by the Ukrainian parliament, to strip nationals who obtain a Russian passport of Ukrainian citizenship is an attempt to split society and shift responsibility for its mistakes onto Russia, Russia’s OSCE Ambassador Alexander Lukashevich told a session of the European security agency’s Permanent Council on Thursday.
"The bill submitted to the Verkhovna Rada by a group of legislators, stipulating an automatic loss of Ukrainian citizenship for those people obtaining Russian citizenship is yet another attempt to split society," said Lukashevich. The text of his speech was published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry. "And besides, to habitually shift the responsibility for its own mistakes and inaction onto Russia," the diplomat said.
The envoy also noted that within the past half-a-year, Kiev has taken no independent moves whatsoever to further the peace process in Donbass. "Not a single legislative initiative was submitted that is aimed at compliance with the commitments under the Package of Measures. Instead, innovations are bred that only complicate the settlement. On July 23, President Vladimir Zelensky signed Decree 307 to enact the decision by the National Security and Defense Council ‘On urgent measures to deepen Ukraine’s integration into NATO’," he went on to say. "In this decision, the joining of the Alliance is seen among the major state tasks, and instructions are given to simplify the procedures of deploying foreign troops to Ukraine," he added.
Thus, the military development of Ukraine by foreign states continues, "conditions are created for further military exercises, training an offensive, which clearly does not contribute to the implementation of the Minsk deals. Why haven’t we seen along with it a decree regarding the implementation of all provisions of the Package of Measures?" he asked.
The diplomat also drew attention to a statement from Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Reznik of July 27, who said that the Ukrainian government planned to send to the parliament a bill on the transitional period in Donbass, which was allegedly aimed at its ‘de-occupation and safe reintegration’. "In real fact, the document undermines the implementation of the Minsk agreements on all trajectories, and rules out any possibility for a political settlement on the basis of the Package of Measures," Lukashevich stressed.
News came on July 24 that the Ukrainian parliament had registered a bill proposing to strip Ukrainians of their citizenship if they obtain a Russian passport. The draft has been referred to the leadership for consideration, its text has not been published as of yet.