Moving Donbas talks from Minsk to Astana can hardly bring positive results right now - Ukrainian FM
KYIV. Jan 22 (Interfax) - The proposed relocation of the Donbas negotiations from Minsk to Astana will hardly bring a positive or meaningful result right now, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said.
"The Kazakh colleagues have already expressed our idea. In my personal view, it doesn't work [...] If we have the substantiated understanding that the change of location will bring us something, we are ready to move anywhere, all the way to New Zealand [...] to any point where it will make sense," Klimkin said at a press conference devoted to a review of Ukrainian diplomacy in 2017 and priorities for 2018 in Kyiv on Monday.
"But as a matter of fact, the problem of what is going on in Minsk is a problem on the part of Russia, the problem of reluctance to fulfill any of its commitments and the desire to twist around all the agreements: they wish to keep everything they have on occupied Donbas and then expand it onto all Ukraine," he said.
"Minsk or Astana, or any other city is not a key issue," Klimkin said.
However, if such relocation brings us a meaningful result, then it will be important, he said.
"There may be any options that will work. Now I can't see how the relocation of the Minsk ground to Astana will add us a new positive result, if you will," Klimkin said.