At the last meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on resolving the situation in Donbas, the Russian Federation delivered an ultimatum that the Verkhovna Rada should change the resolution on the appointment of local elections in 2020 to comply with the Minsk agreements, head of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG Leonid Kravchuk said, but assured that he will never sign documents relating to the sovereignty, state independence of Ukraine and the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

"They raised this question. I have one task: to remove any possible blocking, if it does not concern the sovereignty, state independence of Ukraine and territorial integrity. I will never sign such documents and I will not apply to anyone," Kravchuk said in an interview which was broadcast on the Ukraine 24 TV channel on Thursday.

The ex-president explained what the requirement for Ukraine is.

"It is as if the Ukrainian law deviated from the Minsk agreements, from the Steinmeier formula. This was the main reason. I will tell you more. Whatever issue they discussed - and it was in the working groups, and yesterday at the general discussion in the TCG - they ended any issue as follows: we can agree, but it is imperative that it be written that this document, which we are agreeing, will enter into force only after the Verkhovna Rada makes a decision, and the law or the content of the law will correspond to the Minsk agreements and the existing agreements," he noted.

The ex-president of Ukraine added that the contradiction of this resolution is that "elections cannot be held there [in the occupied territories of Ukraine in the Donbas] now, but only throughout all Ukraine." "They do not object against holding elections all over Ukraine, but without writing that this cannot happen in these territories. That is, to remove this very provision from the Verkhovna Rada. And then our work, our movement forward will be unblocked," he said.

Kravchuk stressed that through the efforts of the President of Ukraine Zelensky and the head of the President's Office, "we have got the main issue underway – the ceasefire [the ceasefire regime in Donbas]." "And today I will say: heavy weapons have not been used for 25 days in a row. For 25 days, none of the soldiers died from the enemy's weapons. There were deaths, but someone stepped on a mine, the territory is mined. But today we can say: we got the most important issue underway," he said.

"If this process, which got underway very actively, continues, it will mean that we are moving forward towards the main task: peace in Donbas ... This is the most important thing for the people, for the president, and for the entire Ukrainian government. And then this question arose on the way - the law on local elections," added the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG.

According to him, the resolution should indicate that local elections are taking place "in Ukraine." "They happen in Ukraine. That's all. End of story," said Kravchuk.