UK Lawmaker Warns Verkhovna Rada Against Opposing Decentralization

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova — A Liberal Democrat member of the British Parliament warned Ukrainian lawmakers on Thursday against opposing constitutional reform as giving more autonomy to the southeastern region of Donbas is the only way toward peace in Ukraine.

“I think a lot of people in the current Rada will fight against that [constitutional reform], they will see it as giving in. I think there will be a sizable chunk of the Rada who will try to resist that,” Mike Hancock told Sputnik news agency, adding that this is a prerequisite for peace in Ukraine.

Hancock also stressed that the adoption of a new constitution in Ukraine would be possible only “if President of the Ukraine is sincere in wanting to see that happen and that the Rada politicians are willing to allow that to happen.”

A constitutional reform providing for Ukraine’s decentralization is one of 13 measures in a reconciliation deal agreed earlier today by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France. All the measures aim to end the military confrontation between Kiev forces and independence supporters in eastern Ukraine.

The British parliamentarian also stressed that maintaining the ceasefire, slated to come into force at midnight on February 14-15, would not be an easy task given previous experiences. However, Hanckock underlined that now it is more likely to be sustained as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin all have their international reputation at stake, and are likely to put pressure on both sides to try and hold the ceasefire.

For the self-proclaimed republics to become autonomies in a federal Ukraine, Kiev would need to amend the unitary republic's constitution. In their turn, the republics of Luhansk and Donetsk want full independence.