Putin hopeful crisis in southeastern Ukraine will be resolved, yet still long way to go
MOSCOW. Oct 1 (Interfax) - There is still a long way to go to the resolution of the crisis in southeastern Ukraine, but there is hope it will eventually be resolved, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
"Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go to its resolution. Yet there are things inspiring confidence that this crisis can be overcome. Most importantly, guns are silent and we may count on positive dialogue between these republics [DPR and LPR] and the Kyiv authorities and the fulfillment of the main condition of any compromise. And this main condition is direct dialogue," Putin said at a meeting of the Presidential Human Rights Council.
"We will insist on this and hope for goodwill of both sides," the Russian president said.
There is a provision in the Minsk agreements saying that "the special status law shall take effect 30 days after the agreements were signed," Putin said.
"There is a law. Thirty days have passed, there is a law but it has not taken effect. To sign an amnesty law. This law exists, and all that needs to be done is to put the [Ukrainian] president's signature under it, but there is no signature. And there are lots of other issues," Putin said.
The political settlement is the key matter of the resolution of the crisis in eastern Ukraine, he said.
"Most important in this political settlement is amendments to the [Ukrainian] constitution. But it is written [in the agreements] that this needs to be done in coordination with Donbas. There is no coordination. The most pressing matter is elections. What do the Minsk agreements say? Under Ukrainian law, which is coordinated with Donbas. Donbas has sent its proposals thrice, but there is no dialogue. The Rada passed the law, but it said, 'do not hold the elections in territories of the LPR and the DPR'. What shall they do? They said they would hold [the elections] on their own," Putin said.
