Contents tagged with Donbas
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Kyiv prepares withdrawal of troops in Donbas
Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodniuk said in an interview with Radio Liberty that the Ukrainian General Staff is developing a plan for the withdrawal of forces and equipment from the demarcation line in the Donbas. The Minister specified that he is not speaking about the retreat, but the separation of forces.
"This should be done technically correctly because there are already military positions and a whole system of fortifications. We talked to the Military and the General Staff. No …
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Ukrainian Aidar battalion reaches outskirts of Horlivka
In Zolote-4 zone, where the withdrawal of troops is expected to take place, the positions of the Aidar battalion came under small arms fire and the soldiers of the battalion responded by moving their positions forward towards the city of Horlivka which is under pro-Russian militant’s control, reports TSN.
A month ago, the battalion was ordered to take positions near Horlivka, where it was able to settle down. Then, Ukrainians moved positions forward by one and a half kilometers. According to …
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister: President Zelensky wants to achieve real progress in Donbas in six months
In an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, when asked what to expect from the upcoming Normandy Format summit and if there are new ideas on how to put an end to the war, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Prystaiko said: “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to achieve real progress over the next six months.”
However, he emphasized that a resolution cannot be achieved by handing over Ukrainian territories.
The Foreign Minister said that the West must continue to put pressure on …
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Volker: West willing to help Russia find easy way to withdraw from Ukraine
US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker told the Ukrainian TV channel 1+1 that Russia is achieving the exact opposite of what it had hoped by continuing its occupation and war in eastern Ukraine.
Volker emphasized that the members of the Normandy Format and the US are willing to help Russia find an “easy way” to withdraw from the occupied Ukrainian territories.
“I think that there are reasons why Russia should withdraw from the Donbas. They are actually not interested in keeping the …
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Belarusian President Lukashenko: conflict in Eastern Ukraine cannot be resolved without the USA
During a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale in Minsk, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said, that the United States could contribute to the settlement of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, reports BelTA news agency.
"Speaking about the problems of Europe, and especially Eastern Europe, in particular, Ukraine, I am convinced that it would be impossible to resolve this conflict without the participation of the United States," said Lukashenko. …
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Kyiv: Russia using passports to strengthen Donbas bargaining position
Russia has expedited its issuance of Russian passports to inhabitants of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said in a statement, citing intelligence data.
According to the statement, the command of the Russian Armed Forces is “taking measures to expedite the so-called passportization of the population”. Ukrainian intelligence believes that this is so that, as of October 1, the armed divisions in the Donbas will contain “only soldiers with …
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Head of OSCE: Free elections impossible in Donbas until control returned to Ukraine
Free and fair local elections cannot be held in the Donbas until Ukraine regains full control over the territories, said OSCE Chairperson Miroslav Lajcak in an interview with BBC.
“I think that free elections could only take place in a free situation, and, of course, in accordance with Ukrainian laws and with observation by international observers – the OSCE, other international organizations, that is, within the Ukrainian jurisdiction system. Only afterwards, when we attain such a situation, …
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Volker: No Donbas elections until Russian troops are withdrawn
US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker said that Ukraine’s international partners will not pressurize it to hold elections in the Donbas while there are still Russia-controlled forces in the region.
“I don’t see a scenario where Ukraine is pushed toward holding elections while the territories remain occupied. The ‘Steinmeier Formula can only be implemented after elections have been held,” Volker told the TV channel 1+1 in an interview.
He said that in order to hold free and fair …
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister rules out special status for Donbas
During a press briefing at the 16th annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadim Prystaiko, who became the head of the Foreign the Ministry in August this year, said that Kyiv will not make any changes to the constitution regarding the special status of the Donbas, reports Ukrainian National News (UNN).
"It is recorded in the Minsk agreements that the reform of Ukrainian legislation should take place. Constitutional reform, which is based on …
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Estonian President: Russia's actions in Donbas and Crimea cannot be accepted
Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid stated that Ukraine and the international community should look for ways to resolve the conflict in the Donbas, and the recent exchange of prisoners with Russia can be "a remarkable step in this process," reports the press service of the Ukrainian President.
"But this cannot happen at the cost of Ukraine's sovereignty," said Kaljulaid at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on September 13. The Estonian President also …