Roman Bezsmertny, Ukrainian representative to the political subgroup of the Contact Group for Donbas, has declared the need to renounce outcomes of the previous elections held in the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk people's republics (the LPR and the DPR) in order to hold elections in individual districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

"The Ukrainian side maintains a standpoint, according to which, if the security matters are resolved, we will start working on the elections only after the outcomes of the earlier so-called elections are renounced and it becomes clear that Plotnitsky, Zakharchenko [LPR leader Igor Plotnitsky and DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko] and everyone else who has institutionalized oneself as an official, are ordinary citizens," he said in the Svoboda Slova program aired by the ICTV television channel on Monday evening.

Presenting arguments in support of his position, Bezsmertny said that former Luhansk Region Council Chairman Valeriy Holenko who, in his words, is currently staying in Moscow, may appeal to court for being reinstated in office upon stabilization in Donbas.

"What will the Ukrainian government do in this case? This is the question of thousands of deputies, mayors of relevant territories. All these complex problems need to be resolved if we want to avoid being engaged in a civil standoff," Bezsmertny said.