"If Russia and the US manage to agree, and there are preconditions for that, the majority of the measures could be implemented this year. If America and Europe are passive on the issue, then 'Minsk-2' will be postponed indefinitely," Alexander Zakharchenko said.
Zakharchenko added that there was no point in counting on Kiev's political will, as decisions on Ukraine's obligations under the Minsk accords were made in Washington.
Kiev authorities launched a military operation against independence militias in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region in April 2014. The confrontation has claimed over 9,000 lives, according to UN estimates.
Despite the fact that the agreement was reached a year ago, both sides have repeatedly reported violations of the deal. On December 30, the Normandy Quartet leaders agreed to extend the deadline for the implementation of the Minsk agreements into 2016.
In January, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland and Russian Presidential Aide Vladislav Surkov met to discuss the ongoing peace process in Ukraine. As the United States is not a member of the Normandy group responsible for implementing the Minsk agreement, it was decided to organize the meeting with the Russian official to keep Washington informed about developments.
