Kiev derails talks of humanitarian subgroup citing procedural issue – LPR delegation

Ukrainian delegation has derailed the meeting of the humanitarian subgroup of the Contact Group today, the LPR delegation press secretary Maria Kovshar said.

"Ukraine derailed the talks of the humanitarian subgroup," she said.

According to the press secretary, "the reason for the disruption is Ukraine's unwillingness and to deliver on its obligations on the agenda points," which concern "procedural clearance" of detainees released in December 2019 and April 2020, possibilities of new swaps, opening two new crossing points on the Contact Line.

"Having exhausted all the "arguments", Ukraine resorted to a procedural issue to block the negotiations", Kovshar said.

The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014. Conflict settlement relies on the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, signed on February 12, 2015 in the Belarussian capital by the Contact Group members and coordinated by the Normandy Four heads of states (Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine). The UN Security Council approved the document by Resolution No 2202 of February 17, 2015 and called upon the parties to ensure its implementation.

The document provides for comprehensive ceasefire, withdrawal of all heavy weapons from the contact line, starting a dialog on reconstruction of social and economic ties between Kiev and Donbass. It also envisages carrying out constitutional reform in Ukraine providing for decentralization and adopting permanent legislation on a special status of certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

To facilitate the work of the Contact Group, four working groups were set up under its aegis to deal with issues of security, politics, return of internally displaced people and refuges, as well as with social, humanitarian, economic and rehabilitation issues.*t