Roadmap for restoring peace in Donbas shaped through talks - Kyiv
KYIV. Aug 27 (Interfax) - Ukraine is working on a roadmap of restoring peace in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, deputy head of the presidential administration Valeriy Chaly has announced.
At a Wednesday briefing in Kyiv he stressed that it is not a question of some specific document but a process in the course of which several steps to settle the situation could be taken over a short period of time.
"The peace plan of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko should become the core of this transition to peace, proposals that can be implemented in the process of work by the contact group. We also have the advice from our partners," Chaly said.
He said such a roadmap is being shaped in the process of talks. "Already today, after Minsk there was a series of telephone conversations of the Ukrainian president with the leaders of European countries. And also the leaders of the European Commission and the European Council, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel," he said.
He said they spoke of control over the state border, a bilateral ceasefire, the release of hostages and the restoration of the destroyed infrastructure.
"One of the issues is the closure of the border, the return to the situation when the border was under control. There is the question of the immediate release of hostages and POWs, the question of interaction between border guards and General Staffs, questions of finding the negotiating side in Donbas," Chaly said.
He said diplomacy should help bring about a bilateral ceasefire. Nevertheless, the military operation remains a question of "our sovereign right, the right to defend the country and if there are attacks on the part of terrorists, on the part of mercenaries, the army must protect the people," Chaly said.
Ml