Poroshenko: No elections in Donbas until conditions met

15:35, 21.06.2016 1 min read

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that a number of conditions related to security must be met in order to hold the elections in Donbas.

"During the 19-hour talks in Minsk, when Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande and I tried to get a constructive position from Russia and to get Putin to sign his obligations. The lion's share of the negotiations dealt with the task of stopping fire and saving lives. Therefore, it is obvious that there are preconditions for introducing amendments to the Constitution," Poroshenko said in an interview with French television channel Itele Tuesday.

According to the Ukrainian president, the Russian troops should be withdrawn from the territory of Ukraine, the OSCE mission should have access to all areas in Donbas, including those where it is critical to ensure the withdrawal of heavy equipment and weapons. "Only after the pre-conditions are met, we can start the work to organize the elections," he said.

Poroshenko said that these elections must be fair and transparent, which is impossible under current conditions.