US representative for Ukraine Volker: DPR and LPR do not belong in the Donbas negotiation process
The US Department of State’s Special Representative for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, believes that representatives from the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics have no place in the negotiation process to resolve the situation in the Donbas. He expressed his opinion in an interview with Hromadske, while answering a question regarding the role of LDPR in the Minsk negotiations.
"I believe that this issue was decided; that the Minsk agreements are between Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE. The idea is to restore Ukraine's control over these territories, to hold elections there. Therefore, there is no place for the so-called ‘Republics’," Volker said.
He also expressed the hope that Russia, which controls the leaders of the LPR and DPR, "will make strategic changes in its behavior."
"I have already said that this is a matter of political will ... If people do not do some things, then they simply do not want to do them. We hope that the active involvement of the US in a broader process and a direct conversation with Russia, as well as a clear reference to the fact that sanctions will not be lifted and that relations between the Russian Federation and the US will not improve until these issues are resolved, will change the situation," stressed Volker.
"We also hope that Russia will make strategic changes in its behavior. If this happens, if it says ‘well, we are ready to move’, then these things will change," he added.