Early on Sunday, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) published the full text of the protocol regarding the conflict in Ukraine which was signed on Friday, following the trilateral contact group meeting in Minsk, on its website. Igor Plotnitsky, Prime Minister of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), was one of the participants of the meeting, and commented on the ceasefire agreement in a telephone interview with Rossiya Segodnya on Sunday.
What clauses of the document do you see as the most important?
Igor Plotnitsky: The Luhansk (LPR) and Donetsk (DPR) People's Republics have jointly supported the protocol presented by the Contact Group, for establishing a ceasefire, the implementation and monitoring of a truce, a hostage exchange, and a humanitarian aid and recovery program to the Donbas and Luhansk regions. These items are, in our opinion, aimed at implementing a plan to resolve the conflict, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 3.
Regarding other items in the protocol, we have more questions than answers, but we agreed to include them in the report, so as not to hinder the beginning of the peace process.
What questions do LPR and DPR have regarding to the protocol?
Igor Plotnitsky: Our main priority is protecting the lives of civilians. We need to ensure resident’s safety, to create conditions for the safe return of over a million refugees to their homes, and to start the economic revival of our country. We also need to restore the economy and relations with Russia, Ukraine, and Europe.
We also hope to complete the procedures for the exchange of hostages and detainees in the coming days.
A law must also be passed prohibiting the prosecution and punishment of persons in connection with the events that have taken place in the Donbas and Luhansk region, in order to prevent mass political persecution by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies. We will scrutinize the draft law, which Ukraine has promised to pass. It should be a law without deception.
However, the rest clauses of the law need consideration.
Are you satisfied with the inclusion of a clause on the elections in DPR and LPR and on a special status of the republics? What do you expect from the law which Ukraine has promised to adopt?
Igor Plotnitsky: We are satisfied with the provisions of the law on the special status of LPR and DPR and with the guarantee to free elections in our republics. The people will decide for themselves who will administer the Donetsk and Luhansk territories, independently from the military and political pressures of Kiev.
We will carefully review this territorial special status law. This law should not only allow the freedom to popular self-government, but also enable the right of the inhabitants of our Republics to independently form national bodies of armed citizens to protect public order. This law should allow the possibility of building a relationship with Ukraine on a contractual basis.
It has to protect the status of the Russian language and must bind Ukraine so that it will not interfere with the free economic relations of our republics with Russia.
When you talk about the special status, does this mean you no longer pursuing the idea of independence?
Igor Plotnitsky: The special status law does not mean our abandonment of the idea of an independent LPR and DPR. But we understand that in order to restore peace and security along with economic and social ties, we have to make compromises, and, when necessary – to bring ourselves closer to the community of Ukrainian. The special status law will confirm Kiev’s course for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. We do not reject this dialogue, but it must be equitable and inclusive.
Are you satisfied with the two clauses on the withdrawal of illegal armed groups and on the monitoring of the borders with Russia?
Igor Plotnitsky: We will carefully examine what the authors have suggested regarding the monitoring of the LPR and DPR borders with Russia. The authors of these suggestions are representatives of Kiev. Safety zones on the border of our republics with Russia - what is that? If this is some kind of plan to try and take the republic by surrounding us again, it will not work. We will require an absolute guarantee of the population’s safety, political institutions and infrastructure of the LPR and DPR.
With regard to the clause on the withdrawal of illegal armed groups, military vehicles, fighters and mercenaries from the territory of Ukraine, it is necessary to first understand what groups exactly are to be considered illegal. We believe the National Guard itself to be an illegal armed group.
We believe that the militants of (Ihor) Kolomoisky must be expelled from Ukraine and all of Europe. We believe that the military equipment of the Ukrainian army is illegally present on both Luhansk and Donetsk territories. If Ukraine sees this point the same way we do, then we’re for it. If not, then we must discuss this further.
