Ukrainian government official: trade with separatist-held territories of Donbas is ‘absolutely legal’
During the Government Question Hour TV program, the representative of the Samopomich (Self-Reliance) party, Yehor Soboliev asked First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and simultaneously Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Stepan Kubiv, when the trade with the uncontrolled territories of Ukraine would be stopped.
Kubiv replied that trade with the separatist-held territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions is not inconsistent with existing Ukrainian legislation, Ukrayinska Pravda reports.
"Firstly, trade that we have today in Ukraine is in compliance with the law, secondly — with territorial integrity of Ukraine, and third, we are talking about citizens who live in the territory of Ukraine today," — Kubiv stated.
On Thursday, January 18, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed the bill on reintegration of the Donbas.