DPR and LPR are terrorists, we can't hold talks with them - Parubiy
Withdrawal of Russian military forces and liquidation of terrorist groups from Donbas are the best preconditions for holding a dialogue with representatives of the territories in Donbas uncontrolled by the Ukrainian government, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Andriy Parubiy has said.
"There is no DPR and no LPR! These are terrorist organizations which are acting in the territory of our country today. Their actions are fully controlled by the Russian aggressor, secret services and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," he said on Thursday when asked by reporters to comment on Ukrainian parliamentarian Nadia Savchenko's proposal to negotiate the release of hostages with representatives of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).
"These terrorist organizations have been condemned in Ukrainian legislation. They were declared terrorists and I think we can't hold any talks with these people," he stressed.
"We have to elaborate all mechanisms in order to force Putin withdraw Russian army from the Ukrainian territory and make him to remove armed militants that came from Russia. When we close the border, when there are no Russian military forces in the territory of Ukraine, I think then we will be able to cope with terrorist groups on the territory of our country quickly and effectively... I think this is the best way of a dialogue with people who instigated this war, who became murderers of children and civilians, and who are directly guilty of aggressive actions started by Russia," Parubiy said.