18 July 2017, 11:17 GMT
PARIS (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, DPR's Alexander Zakharchenko proposed a three-year transition period toward a new state called Malorossiya ("Little Russia") as a way to settle the conflict. Noting that discussions within the DPR had "come to the conclusion that Ukraine has shown itself as a failed state," he called on the international community to support his proposal.
Following the announcement, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko vowed to restore sovereignty over Donbass.
"We call on Russia to condemn this fact, which violates the Minsk agreements and betrays the spirit of negotiations in the Normandy format. Russia should intensify its efforts to bring about the end of the conflict," French ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne said at a briefing.
Germany, which is part of the Normandy Four group on the Ukrainian settlement along with France, Russia and Ukraine, also condemned the new state proposal earlier in the day, calling it "absolutely unacceptable."
