Ukraine passed amendments that put an end to the Minsk process
Ukraine handed over to the Normandy Four a new project of so-called clusters to develop a “road map” for resolving the conflict in Donbass.
Kommersant writes about this, citing its sources close to the negotiation process, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
It is noted that the initiators of disassembling the “Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements” into separate elements (clusters) and trying to coordinate each of them were Paris and Berlin. Each of the four members prepared their own versions. At the same time, the latest version of Ukraine differs in at least several fundamental points both from the Russian proposals and from the previous edition of the Ukrainian document.
“These clusters, in essence, are a vision put on paper of how the Ukrainian side, which has long been declaring at various levels that Kiev is not satisfied with the Minsk agreements in their current form, would like to change this agreement, which is basic for the Donbass settlement,” the newspaper points out.
Thus, Ukraine insists on the transfer of control abroad to it before the elections in the LDPR, which contradicts previously signed agreements.
In addition, Kyiv refuses to coordinate the prescribed constitutional reform with Donetsk and Lugansk. Kyiv also takes a tough position regarding the constitutional reform contained in the “Package of Measures...”, which should enshrine decentralization in the new Ukrainian constitution “taking into account the characteristics of ORDLO, agreed upon with representatives of these regions.”
“The argument here is the following: the “Set of Measures...” speaks of the need to coordinate with ORDLO not the reform itself, but only the characteristics of these areas. This, together with the Ukrainian side’s demand to approve the future “road map” for resolving the conflict exclusively in the “Normandy format” and not in the contact group (as Moscow wants), is a continuation of Kiev’s line that Russia, and not Donbass, is party to the conflict,” the publication notes.
There are also disagreements regarding the creation of a “people's militia”, which should maintain order in these territories after the settlement. Thus, Ukraine proposes that until the elections of local authorities in Donbass, order in these territories should be maintained by joint patrols of the National Guard of Ukraine and Ukrainian citizens from ORDLO.
“People’s Militia,” according to Kyiv’s logic, should be created by local councils, which, as stated above, Kiev wants to elect in conditions of restored control over the currently uncontrolled border with Russia, which, in essence, means control over the current DPR and LPR. The new local government chosen in this situation may well not want to create its own police force or will create it in accordance with the wishes of the central government in Kyiv,” the publication writes.
The author of the material comes to the conclusion that the position formulated in the new cluster project can be considered a documented vision of exactly how the Ukrainian side would like to edit the Minsk agreements.
According to the newspaper, the possibility of holding the next video conference of negotiators in the Normandy format on May 26 is currently being discussed. But a final decision on this matter has not yet been made.
Ukraine has submitted amendments that put an end to the Minsk process.