The Kremlin does not have any information about the existence of a plan for a peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbass, which was previously announced by the head of the Ukrainian president's office, Andriy Yermak.
This was announced by the press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov.
"I have no information about the existence of such a plan," - said Peskov.
On the evening of March 9, Yermak, as part of the online event "Conflict in the East of Ukraine: Prospects for 2021", said that Berlin, Paris and Kiev had developed a plan for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbass within the framework of the Normandy format.
Zelenskiy's chief of staff also said that Moscow supposedly should respond to him as a participant in the negotiations.
“Today there is a concrete plan on the table - the peace plan proposed by Germany and France, finalized by Ukraine.
And we believe that it absolutely complies with the spirit and principle of the Minsk agreements, it complies with the norms of international law.
If Russia today declares its readiness regarding the end of the war, the reintegration of the occupied territories into Ukraine, the return of our citizens, then this will meet all the criteria ... we are waiting for the position of Russia, "Interfax-Ukraine quotes Yermak.
The head of the office of the President of Ukraine said that the so-called peace plan is a kind of "clusters" - logical steps in accordance with the spirit and principle of the Minsk agreements, international law. "
“Within the framework of the Normandy format, a very powerful step was taken, which we are discussing today, and I hope that in a week or two it will be the subject of powerful discussion during a videoconference in the Normandy format - these are the so-called“ clusters ”... if they are agreed upon, the basis for a roadmap that would really end with the establishment of peace in Donbass, the return and reintegration of the occupied territories to Ukraine and the holding of local elections, ”Yermak explained.
According to him, "Russia must clearly say whether it is ready to follow the path of establishing peace in Donbass, or whether it does not want peace in Ukraine, then the whole world will understand this."
At the same time, the head of the office of the President of Ukraine did not disclose any other details about the essence or provisions of this revised "plan".
Kiev gambit
Shortly after Yermak's statement, a source familiar with the negotiations told RIA Novosti that Kiev had not presented any new plans at the last meeting of the Contact Group for the settlement of the conflict in Donbass.
Also, there were no proposals for any videoconferences in the Normandy format, added the agency's interlocutor.
“The main settlement plan is the Package of Measures for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements itself.
At the last meeting of the Contact Group on March 2-3, the Ukrainians did not talk about any new plans, ”RIA Novosti quoted the source as saying.
At the same time, the source stressed that "Kiev should discuss all issues of the implementation of the Package of Measures with the Donbass."
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak
RIA News
In the DPR, Yermak's statement was called another attempt not to fulfill the Minsk agreements.
“If Kiev really wants to restore this world, then it is necessary not to invent some ways of“ modernizing ”the Minsk agreements, not to try to replace them with new“ scenarios ”or to replace the special status of Donbass, clearly fixed by a set of measures, with laws on internment, transitional justice, collaboration and other reality in terms ”, - quotes the words of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Natalia Nikonorova on the agency's website.
She added that the Ukrainian side continues to shell the settlements of Donbass and ignores any proposals from the DPR to strengthen the ceasefire.
“In public, Ukrainian representatives are doing blackmail with might and main, advertising their alleged peace initiatives, but in fact threatening war,” added Nikonorova.
A source in the Golos party said in an interview with RT that there is no international support for Ukraine's new plan.
“I think that for this reason Zelenskiy wants to meet with Western partners in private.
To convince them of the need to support Ukraine's initiative.
But this is a stupid undertaking that will lead nowhere.
It will only make all parties angry, ”the representative of the“ Golos ”party believes.
We will remind that on the eve of Zelensky said that he was ready to meet separately with each of the leaders of the "Normandy Four" if negotiations between the participants in the Normandy format at the level of heads of state are postponed.
Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbass
© REUTERS / Oleksandr Klymenko
In turn, a RT source in the presidential party Servant of the People says that Yermak's statements betray the inconsistency of Ukraine's position.
“In fact, the Ukrainian side presents Russia with a choice - agree to our terms or you are responsible for the war in the east (Ukraine. -
RT
).
And after that, Zelensky says that he is ready to personally meet with Vladimir Putin and hold talks with him.
It seems to me that this is a stupid approach, "the interlocutor of RT believes.
Screen for offensive
It is worth noting that the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Yermak announced a new plan to resolve the conflict amid reports that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are significantly increasing their forces at the demarcation line in Donbass.
So, in the LPR on March 9, it was reported that the Ukrainian side sent armored vehicles to the vicinity of the city of Schastye and the settlement of Popasnaya, which are in the area of responsibility of the 80th separate airborne assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In addition, a video from Mariupol appeared on social networks, which captured a train transporting tanks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, presumably to the east of Ukraine.
Also, the people's militia of the self-proclaimed LPR announced the arrival of foreign military instructors and mercenaries in Donbass.
“According to our sources, a group of foreign military men arrived in the area of responsibility of the 80th brigade in the area of the settlement of Geyevka.
The main task of foreigners is to train snipers from the airborne units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to carry out provocations planned by the Ukrainian command for this spring, ”RIA Novosti quotes Ivan Filiponenko, a representative of the LPR's defense department.
The LPR emphasized that persons from Poland and Lithuania who took an active part in hostilities in 2014 and 2015 on the side of the Ukrainian security forces arrived in the Donbass.
Filiponenko added that Ukraine systematically attracts foreign mercenaries and military instructors to the conflict zone, which complicates the process of a peaceful settlement.
The LPR representative also said that, based on the data received, the self-proclaimed republic expects an increase in the number of provocations by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbass
© Ministry of Defense of Ukraine / Vadim Kovalov
Commenting on the situation, the leading researcher of RISS Oleg Nemensky noted that no one was aware of the new plan for resolving the conflict in Donbass mentioned by Yermak, since it exists only in words.
“The plan was not presented to the Russian side, because it does not exist, there are only verbal statements.
It is important for Zelensky to pretend that he is doing a lot of international work, preparing a new meeting in the Normandy format.
At the same time, Kiev is well aware that there are no prospects for a summit meeting, since the Ukrainian side has not yet fulfilled the conditions that were announced back in Paris in 2019, ”the political scientist explained in an interview with RT.
Recall that since the summit in Paris in December 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly announced the imminent holding of a new meeting of the Normandy Four.
However, a meeting at the level of heads of state was never held.
Moscow has repeatedly noted that due to Kiev's refusal to follow the agreements that were reached in Paris, there are no prerequisites for a new summit.
Oleg Nemensky noted that Zelensky has already demonstrated to foreign colleagues that he not only does not want, but in fact cannot fulfill the agreements of the Paris summit.
“For this reason, it makes no sense to seriously discuss any conditions with him.
Such statements are intended for an internal audience and are aimed at persuading the West to remember about Ukraine and its problems.
For this, the situation on the front line is also deteriorating, ”the expert emphasized.
At the same time, Kiev is incapacitated both militarily and politically, and therefore, in its statements, it is trying to attract the attention of Germany and France, Nemensky added.
In addition, the Zelensky administration is trying to lend more weight to the agreements of the 2019 summit in Paris in order to get an excuse not to implement the Minsk agreements, the political scientist explained.
“The Zelensky administration is trying to pass off its interpretation of the agreements of the 2019 Normandy Four Paris summit as a new settlement plan.
The Ukrainian side is seeking recognition at the international level of the Minsk Agreements as invalid and the need to revise them in favor of some new plan, ”Oleg Nemensky explained Kiev’s actions.
In turn, Andrei Suzdaltsev, deputy dean of the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics at the Higher School of Economics, in an interview with RT, noted that the Zelensky administration creates the illusion of activity on the issue of a settlement in Donbass due to the low rating of the President of Ukraine.
“Recalling his promise to solve the Donbass problem and defending his own position, Zelensky wants to raise his rating.
Also in the expert community there is an opinion that in this way Ukraine wants to "wake up" the United States, since there is still no coherent, clear policy on Ukrainian issues from them.
There is also a version that Biden is specifically pushing Kiev to raise the subject of the Normandy Four in order to lure Russia into the international arena and so that it would come under attack from the US and the EU, pressure was exerted on it and sanctions would be imposed against it, ”the expert said. ...
According to Andrey Suzdaltsev, Kiev's statements that they are waiting for some kind of Russian reaction to a non-existent plan is demagoguery.
“Peace in Donbass depends only on Ukraine.
In addition, the Minsk agreements, which were previously signed by the Ukrainian side, presuppose the actions of Kiev, the holding of a huge number of events.
However, Ukraine has not done anything and continues to shift the responsibility onto Russia, ”the political scientist concluded.