24 Apr 2019 20:23

Minsk negotiators discuss matter of issuing Russian passports to DPR/LPR residents - Sajdik

MINSK. April 24 (Interfax) - Members of the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine have discussed Russian President Vladimir Putin's decree to simplify the rules of acquiring Russian citizenship for residents of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics (LPR/DPR), OSCE's TCG Special Envoy Martin Sajdik said.

Sajdik told reporters after the TCG meeting in Minsk on Wednesday that the issue of passports had been discussed in the political subgroup.

When asked about how this Russian step could affect the progress of peaceful settlement of the crisis, the OSCE special envoy said that he had always backed the letter and spirit of the Minsk Agreements, which are based on the idea of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.