Donetsk, Jan 3 – DAN. Kiev’s position at the Minsk peace talks last year was harmful for Ukrainian authorities, DPR envoy to Minsk talks Denis Pushilin told Donetsk News Agency on Tuesday.
“Ukraine used all possible ways to protract the talks, replacing representatives, blocking subgroups’ work, failing to state its position on agenda issues, sabotaging previous accords, twisting facts etc,” Pushilin said adding that “Kiev’s official position is disastrous for itself in the first place.”
The DPR envoy described Ukrainian side’s stance as “wholly unproductive.” Earlier, DPR officials reiterated that Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements was foiling the peaceful settlement in Donbass and, on a large scale, Ukraine’s efforts to embark on a constructive course amid the ongoing domestic political and economic crisis.
Moscow, Paris and Berlin repeatedly said that there was not alternative to the Minsk format of Donbass settlement talks. The Contact Group’s first consultations in 2017 are scheduled for 16 January. *jk