Contact group on Donbas to discuss security zones, prisoner exchange in Minsk on November 23
The contact group on Ukraine cannot approve seven new security zones on the contact line in Donbas until the full disengagement of forces and hardware at pilot sites, a source in the negotiations told Interfax-Ukraine.
"The negotiation participants in the meeting on November 23 will continue discussing the parameters of the new security zones. However, the process on pilot sites has still not been completed. The approval of seven additional zones cannot be discussed until that happens," the source said.
"There is still no headway on the issue of disengagement at the last of the three pilot sites, Stanytsia Luhanska," the source said.
"Ukraine has still not given a signal of its readiness for disengagement. There are no preconditions for receipt of such a signal in the next few days," the source said.
The contact group will also address humanitarian issues, including prisoner exchange, he said.
The negotiation participants will also discuss a number of traditional issues on the agenda, including the parameters of the regulations governing the work of the contact group, the modality of local elections and issues relating to economic regulation.