MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The "Steinmeier forumula," a mechanism proposed by the German foreign minister, is aimed at ending hostilities in eastern Ukraine through passing legislation on self-rule in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics and the eventual determination by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) that free and fair elections have been held there.
"The roadmap and the implementation of the Steinmeier formula are key steps toward honoring the political agreements stipulated by the Minsk accords. But that does not stop the Ukrainian side from stalling even the discussion of these processes," Victoria Talakina wrote on Facebook.
In April 2014, Kiev authorities launched a military operation against militia in Donbass. In February 2015, the two sides reached a ceasefire deal after talks brokered by the leaders of Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine — the so-called Normandy Format — in Minsk.
