First Session of Ukraine’s Constitutional Commission to Take Place Monday

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On March 3, Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko signed a decree establishing a constitutional commission that will work out the amendments to the country's constitution taking into account the challenges and needs the society is facing. Ukrainian and international experts representing various political forces are expected to take part in the process.

Poroshenko said he expects the new commission to promptly develop a project on decentralization of powers in Ukraine.

“At 11:00 [a.m. local time, 09:00 GMT] April 6, 2015 President of Ukraine Petr Poroshenko will take part in the first session of the Constitutional Commission,” the press release said.

Constitutional reform in Ukraine is one of the key points of the new Minsk deal agreed in mid-February by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France.

On Monday, leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) offered the head of Ukraine's Constitutional Commission Volodymyr Groysman to establish a joint working group to reform the constitution and further coordination of the republics' constitutional law.

On Sunday, DPR negotiator Denis Pushilin said that Donbas breakaway republics are halting prisoners exchange with Kiev until the issue of the creating the working groups on the implementation of the Minsk agreements is resolved.