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Ukraine’s law on special status in eastern regions could be first step to peace — lawmaker

The future will depend on negotiators from Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and Kiev representatives, Ukrainian lawmaker Vladislav Lukyanov says

© EPA/SERGEI ILNITSKY

KIEV, September 16. /ITAR-TASS/. The law on a special self-rule status in certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions passed by the Ukrainian parliament on Tuesday, is a step towards peace, a Ukrainian lawmaker Vladislav Lukyanov said.

“But this is only the first step,” Lukyanov noted. “The future will depend on negotiators from DPR and LPR (Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics) and Kiev representatives. All the problems that the region is facing need to be assessed,” he added.

The Kiev regime’s special operation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions launched in mid-April has left damages that cost the country up to $5.4 billion. More than 2,500 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the UN.

“It is essential to restore the social and engineering infrastructure, as autumn and winter are coming,” Lukyanov said. “The situation is aggravated as the Ukrainian government has created conditions for the disruption of the country’s gas supply.”

In remarks to the plans to hold local elections in the eastern regions on December 7, Lukyanov said that “a coordinated work between LPR and DPR, as well as Kiev, is needed.” “International aid is also needed to hold the elections, as the Ukrainian budget lacks the funds for this aim,” he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, the chairman of the Supreme Council of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) said he considers the law “a step in a right direction".

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