President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky says that none of the negotiation formats contain even a hint that in exchange for the liberation of Donbas Ukraine would recognize Crimea as Russian territory.
“As for the proposals, “let us give you the occupied territory of Donbas, and you will give us Crimea,” – it has never been discussed. Moreover, I have not even heard these hints in any format,” he said during his conversation with reporters at a press marathon in Kyiv on Thursday.
In general, he said, negotiations are currently underway with Russia in several formats: “By telephone – about the return of prisoners who are held in Russia, in the Minsk format – about Donbas, and there’s no issue on Crimea even in the Normandy format, “about which we hear only of the upcoming date of the meeting.”
The president also emphasized that at the meeting in the Normandy format he will certainly raise the issue of Crimea.
About 90% of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Donbas are ready to take part in Ukraine’s presidential elections, Head of the All-Ukrainian Platform of Donbas, Head of the Public Council under the Ministry of Temporary Occupied Territories and IDPs Henandiy Borisichev has said.
“We travel a lot around the country and hold many meetings with IDPs. At the end of each meeting we take a so-called sociological poll, based on the results of our meetings, I can say that about 90% of IDPs plan to take part in the elections,” he said at a press conference held at the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Tuesday.
Borisichev said about 80-90% of IDPs have already received absentee ballots for voting in the presidential elections in Ukraine.
“Finally, our countrymen have realized that if they do not engage in politics, politics will deal with them, as happened in 2014,” he said.
Borisichev said the all-Ukrainian Platform of Donbas intends ask the top ten presidential candidates to sign on to a public statement pledging to help solve problems faced by IDPs.
The document will set out the candidate’s obligations regarding the support and funding of state programs for providing housing for IDPs, renewing the rights of pensioners from Donbas to pay Ukrainian pensions, ensuring the right of IDPs to take part in local elections, developing and implementing a comprehensive plan for restoring peace in Donbas and the development and adoption of a special law on compensation for victims of the war in Ukraine.
DONBAS, INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS, PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, TAKE PART
