KIEV, August 18. /TASS/. Ukraine must cut the Donbas territories uncontrolled by Kiev until their return, severing all relations with them, Ukraine’s first President Leonid Kravchuk told the Novoye Vremya magazine.

"We have to cut this territory [the part of the Donbas region not controlled by Kiev] until we can liberate it," Kravchuk noted, adding that "we must stop economic, political and other relations with them."

According to the former Ukrainian president, Kiev has to put up with the current line of demarcation that exists in the Donbas region and cease any attempts to take care of the population living there. " "We perceive this line [of demarcation] as a status quo, as a temporary line of demarcation and cease to speak empty words, such as ‘humanism, ‘our people live there, ‘they need help’, ‘we must collect taxes here and help them, because they are in a difficult position," Kravchuk said.

In his opinion, Kiev should not recover the lost territories of Donbas now. "The time has not come yet to liberate [them]. The time will come, and we will liberate [them]," he added.