K.Volker walks the talk
16 May 2018, 21:00
Representatives of the informal “Minsk platform” group met today with Kurt Volker, the US Special Representative for Ukraine
On May 16, the Parliament premises hosted an open sitting of the Minsk platform group headed by the First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, a TCG’s humanitarian subgroup representative Iryna Herashchenko, guested by Kurt Volker, the US Special Representative for Ukraine and Marie Yovanovitch, the US Ambassador to Ukraine.
The sides discussed the security, humanitarian and ecological situation in the Donbas and non-fulfillment of the Minsk agreements by Russia as well. During the deliberations, the participants also exchanged their views on the prospects for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission in the Donbas.
Kurt Volker was updated about the continuing deadlock in gaining access of the Red Cross reps to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as about the lack of progress in introducing a trilateral search mechanism for missing persons in the Donbas.
Particular attention was paid to the release of hostages and political prisoners of the Kremlin. The representative of the TCG’s humanitarian subgroup remarked that the release process had in point of fact been blocked since January 2018. She also told that the Ukraine-offered swap of twenty-three Russian criminals convicted of committing crimes in Ukraine for the Ukrainian political prisoners held in Russia and the Crimea has not been of any effect yet.
In addition, during the meeting the parties discussed the state of play of reforms in Ukraine, combating corruption and security and defense of the country, in particular, the Nord Stream 2 as the Russian political project and the Stream-induced risks as well as Ukraine's participation in the NATO summit.
Kurt Volker informed Ukrainian parliamentarians about his working visit to Donbas on May 14-15.
The Special Representative of the US Department of State observed that the United States is ready to more actively engage and coordinate joint efforts to resolve the situation in the east of Ukraine and assured that the US sanctions policy against the Russian Federation would continue until the full restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty attained.
The open sitting was attended by the following members of parliament:
Hanna Hopko, Mariia Ionova, V. Zaruzhko, O. Sotnyk, Yu. Lovochkina, Yurii Boiko, A. Teteruk, O. Skrypnyk, Anton Herashchenko, D. Lubinets, O.Riabchyn, Borys Tarasiuk, S. Shakhov, L. Yemets, V. Bondar.