Donetsk, Mar 22 - DAN. The Donbass ‘reintegration law enabled Kiev to use all kinds of troops in Donbass, but Ukraine will not launch full-scale offensive without a directive from the United States, Donbass People's Republic Head Alexander Zakharchenko said at a news conference on Thursday.
“The law (on ‘reintegration’ - eds Donetsk News Agency) has been passed; and it operates towards the dismantling of the DPR and the LPR. It gives free reign to Poroshenko and the military,” Zakharchenko said.
“Ukraine’s attempts to take Donbass by force will fail,” he said. “They won’t succeed; we’re ready for all moves. We’ll give a tough response in the military, economic and political spheres.”
He expressed the opinion that Ukraine could escalate the conflict merely by the decision of the western curators of the incumbent Kiev authorities. “Washington is not giving the order to unleash the fighting,” Zakharchenko said.
On 20 February, Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko signed the law “On the peculiarities of state policy on the restoration of the state sovereignty of Ukraine over the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine” (so called Donbass ‘reintegration’ law).
The document recognises Donbass areas as ‘occupied’ territories and calls Russia an “aggressor country.” A majority of lawyers believe that ‘reintegration’ essential means legal approval of the use of force in the region for resolving the conflict, which contradicts the Minsk Agreements aimed at a peaceful settlement. *jk