18:59 19.09.2019

Rada explains essence of Zelensky formula as Ukraine's negotiating stance

2 min read
Rada explains essence of Zelensky formula as Ukraine's negotiating stance

 Bohdan Yaremenko, a member of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction and chair of the Committee on Foreign Policy and Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation, has explained the Zelensky formula as Ukraine's negotiating stance in the Donbas settlement process.

A text entitled "Zelensky Formula" was posted by Yaremenko on Facebook on Thursday.

The formula says "no to constitutional amendments regarding 'a special status of ORDLO' [certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions], which is a significant step forward compared to the predecessors who sacrificed the lives of National Guard soldiers to pass relevant constitutional amendments at the first reading," he said.

Elections in certain districts of Donbas and other political provisions of the Minsk Agreements can happen only after security provisions (such as the ceasefire, the withdrawal of forces, and prisoner exchanges) are put into action, Yaremenko said.

"This is another step forward compared to predecessors who adopted laws and tried to amend the constitution without even reaching a ceasefire. In fact, they contravened the Minsk Agreements and implemented the Steinmeier Formula," he said.

Local elections should take place simultaneously throughout Ukraine and in ORDLO on the basis of the same law upon the achievement of proper security levels, Yaremenko said.

"This is the negotiating stance of Ukraine. If anyone thinks it is too weak, I should say that Ukraine did not send its tanks to Kursk, while Russia deployed its tanks to Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk. If anyone wants more details, I can say that we were hearing more about the Tomos (a decree of the Orthodox church) and 'Putin's attack' six and twelve months ago, and now Ukraine has a clear, publicly-articulated position," Yaremenko said.

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