Donetsk, Mar 16 - DAN. Ukrainian representatives have derailed talks in the Contact Group subgroup on political issues, press secretary of the Donetsk People’s Republic delegation at the Minsk talks Vladislav Moskovskiy said on Tuesday.

“Name calling, an overused method, has become a new case for Ukrainian officials,” Moskovskiy said. “Mr Alexander Kostin (the Ukrainian representative in the political subgroup - eds Donetsk News Agency) refused to take part in the negotiations because Ukrainian secret services accuse Donbass community representative Maya Pirogova  of setting up a terrorist organisation, which he said ‘brings the negotiating process into disrepute’.”

Ukraine’s behaviour is absurd due to several factors, the press secretary said.

Firstly, Ukrainian authorities have had no such issues since the political subgroup had its first session involving community representatives. Secondly, due to the Ukrainian secret service’s approach, nearly every person who participated in establishing the Republic has the status of “terrorist group participant, founder or leader,” Moskovskiy said.

Earlier reports on Tuesday said that the subgroups on political and humanitarian issues had begun a new round of Donbass talks.*jk*pp