Ukraine refused to fix the special status of Donbass in the Constitution of the country. This is stated in a statement following the negotiations of the updated trilateral contact group (Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE), published on the official website of President Vladimir Zelensky.

“The Ukrainian side once again ruled out the possibility of consolidating the special status of certain regions of Donetsk and Lugansk regions in the Constitution of Ukraine,” the statement says.

Kiev also believes that elections in the DPR and LPR are possible only after Ukraine gains control of the border with Russia.

“During the work of a political group, the Ukrainian side emphasized that elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbass can take place in accordance with the Constitution and legislation of Ukraine and on the basis of the OSCE Copenhagen criteria, including regarding the stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and the protection of minority rights, only after Ukraine gained control of the border, ”the report said.

Kiev has made similar statements before. In particular, on April 22, the Ukrainian side also “categorically rejected the possibility of securing the special status” of Donbass in the main law of the country. This was also reported by the official website of the President of Ukraine.

At the same time, the Ukrainian side took the initiative to create within the framework of the TAG a working group “to develop a mechanism for restoring Ukraine’s control over the state border section”.

As Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of Moscow State Pedagogical University, noted in an interview with RT, Kiev’s statements about the refusal to secure the special status of Donbass in the Constitution of Ukraine completely contradict the Minsk agreements and Steinmeier’s formula.

“After all, these agreements are based on the requirement that Kiev grant a special status to Donbass, this item is prevailing, without it the Minsk agreements have no meaning,” the expert explained.

  • Ukrainian law enforcement officers near the office of the President of Ukraine
  • AFP
  • © Sergei Supinsky

Actual sabotage

Recall that it is the Minsk agreements that imply the need to ensure a law on the special status of Donbass. To implement this clause of the agreements, on October 1, 2019, the so-called Steinmeier formula was approved by the contact group for Donbass - a mechanism for introducing a special status for the territories of the LPR and the DPR as part of the Ukrainian state, as well as the separation of forces and assets near the settlements of Petrovskoye and Zolotoe. According to Steinmeier’s formula, Kiev must first ensure the operation of the temporary special status of these areas of Donbass, after which local elections will be held there according to Ukrainian law. If the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recognizes the results of the vote, then special status will be introduced on an ongoing basis, and Ukraine will be able to gain control of the border with Russia.

However, Kiev insists on the transfer of control over the border before the elections on the territory not controlled by Ukraine. This issue, in particular, Zelensky raised at the December meeting in 2019 in the Norman format with the leaders of Russia, Germany and France. Then, following the summit, the parties agreed to work on the implementation of the Minsk agreements. In addition, a statement was signed stating the need to implement the political part of Minsk-2, including the approval by Ukraine of a law on the special status of certain regions of Donbass.

According to Oleg Nemensky, a leading researcher at RISI, Kiev increasingly began to make statements about the need to review its obligations. And this concerns not only the introduction of clauses on the special status of Donbass in the Constitution or the issue of gaining control over the border of the republics with Russia, the analyst believes: “Kiev almost immediately after the conclusion of the Minsk agreements, when he was president of Petro Poroshenko, he began to insist that the procedure for fulfilling the requirements It should be different, and some items are not needed at all. The administration of the current president Zelensky adheres to the same policy. ”

This trend was pointed out during a major press conference in December 2019 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Commenting on Ukraine’s statements of intent to amend the Minsk agreements, the Russian leader warned that this could lead to a deadlock.

“I was very alarmed by the statements of President Zelensky after he left Paris that they could be reviewed. If the revision of the Minsk agreements begins, the whole situation may even come to a standstill completely. Because the key to these Minsk agreements is the law on the special status of Donbass, which should be implemented in the Ukrainian basic law on an ongoing basis, ”the President of the Russian Federation emphasized.

In turn, Russia's envoy to the TKG, Boris Gryzlov, told reporters that the negotiations of the conflict settlement group in the Donbass that had been held the day before were practically frustrated due to Kiev’s position.

“In violation of the package of measures to implement the Minsk Agreements, representatives of Kiev tried to refuse a direct dialogue with representatives of Donetsk and Lugansk. By such actions, the Kiev authorities grossly violates the resolution of the UN Security Council, which unanimously approved the package of measures, ”Gryzlov said.

Recall that during the year Zelensky was in power, Kiev has repeatedly stated its refusal to negotiate with the authorities of the self-proclaimed republics.

  • President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky visits the position of the Ukrainian armed forces near the village of Petrovskoye, April 11, 2020
  • Reuters
  • © Ukrainian Presidential Press Service

Moreover, in early March, in an interview with the British publication The Guardian, the Ukrainian leader said that Kiev did not exclude withdrawal from international negotiations to resolve the situation in the Donbass until December, if there was no definite progress on this issue. According to Zelensky, he does not intend to spend his entire five-year presidential term on working with Minsk.

On April 25, on air of the Big Game program on Channel One, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized that Kiev is completely sabotaging the political part of the agreements that were reached at the Norman summit in Paris.

“We are witnessing complete sabotage in the political part of the Paris agreements, where President Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelensky committed himself to finally achieve the inclusion of the Steinmeier formula in Ukrainian legislation and the second to start discussing all legal aspects of ensuring the special political status of Donbass on an ongoing basis in Ukrainian legislation. The Ukrainian side does not want to talk about these topics, ”said Lavrov.

As noted by Vladimir Shapovalov, from the moment of signing the Minsk agreements to the present time, Ukraine has actually deliberately neglected the fulfillment of its obligations under Minsk and other related agreements.

“At first, it was veiled in places - the Ukrainian authorities verbally supported the Minsk agreements, but actually delayed the process. Now, under Zelensky, who promised peace in the south-east of Ukraine, Kiev does not at all exclude the possibility of withdrawing from the Minsk agreements. Moreover, for many months, hints have been heard from the Ukrainian president and his entourage that the Minsk agreements have lost relevance, ”the expert said.

According to Shapovalov, Kiev’s demand to transfer control over the border of the republics of the LPR and the DPR with Russia to him even before the elections in the Donbass is one of the most striking violations by Ukraine of previously reached agreements.

“The position of Kiev regarding the border is a constant stumbling block, which hinders the settlement of the situation on the territory of the self-proclaimed republics. After all, the Minsk agreements dictate a certain sequence of actions, as does Steinmeier’s formula. This sequence is especially important and valuable. It is in it that the whole point of the agreements lies. After all, if Ukraine gains control over the border before the elections, this will lead to the actual entry of Ukrainian troops into the territory of the DPR and LPR, which means a humanitarian catastrophe and repression against the population of Donbass, ”the analyst explained.

“Doesn't want a dialogue”

According to experts, the new statement of Ukraine "with the old content" about the reluctance to introduce the special status of Donbass into the Constitution of Ukraine is yet another evidence of Kiev's lack of maturity and an indicator of the absence of prerequisites for a new meeting of the "Norman Four".

  • A resident of the village of Shakhty 6-7 in Gorlovka shows the destruction on the territory of her farm after shelling
  • RIA News
  • © Sergey Averin

The head of the Russian foreign ministry, Sergey Lavrov, spoke about the same thing in February. According to him, Russia will discuss the dates of the next Norman summit only subject to the implementation of the agreements that were agreed at a similar meeting in December 2019.

"When ... everything that is agreed on in Paris will be completed, including normalization" on the ground ", and mine clearance, and political issues related to the Steinmeier formula and fixing all aspects of the special status of Donbass on an ongoing basis in the legislation of Ukraine" - said the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry during a press conference.

According to Vladimir Shapovalov, given the fact that the Ukrainian side demonstrates a lack of desire to implement the Minsk agreements and other related agreements, the international community, Europe, and the United States in particular, “should review their unjust policy towards Russia.”

“All the accusations against the Russian Federation are related to the fact that Moscow supposedly does not follow the Minsk agreements, although it, unlike Kiev, actually always adhered to the decisions taken,” the expert said, adding that if Kiev continues to violate the Minsk agreements, it’s may lead to even greater escalation of the Ukrainian conflict.

“At some stage, Ukraine may completely abandon the constructive way to resolve the situation, but formally it will not abandon its obligations anyway, because it fears pressure from the West,” the analyst noted.

At the same time, as Shapovalov emphasized, the self-proclaimed republics, despite the actions of the Ukrainian authorities, "will be restrained and adequate to respond to everything that happens."

“Kiev’s violation of the Minsk agreements in the DPR and LPR categorically does not accept, but they will continue to express their readiness for an open dialogue. Another thing is that Kiev itself does not want this dialogue, ”said the expert.

With the fact that Ukraine is not going to implement the Minsk agreements, Oleg Nemensky agrees.

“In Kiev, it is generally accepted that the signature on the relevant documents was forced by the Ukrainian leadership. And now, due to the demands of its Western partners, Kiev can only imitate the violent activity to resolve the situation in the Donbass, and actually stop the process as much as possible, ”concluded the analyst.