Putin urges Kiev to hold talks with pro-Russians over reforms
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the government in Kiev should hold talks with east Ukraine’s pro-Russians over any constitutional reforms.
"I want to emphasize that the amendments to the constitution of Ukraine are stipulated in the Minsk agreements, but they must be implemented in the course of talks and dialogue, in coordination with the representatives” of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in the Russian city of Vladivostok on Friday.
Putin, however, stressed that the constitutional amendments proposed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko "are not changing the power structure” in the violence-wracked country and are "being used solely as a pretext for escalating the political struggle for power."
The Russian president further noted that political dialog between Kiev and pro-Russians is the only way out of the deadly conflict in eastern Ukraine, adding, "Unfortunately, nothing like that is happening."
Elsewhere in his remarks, Putin once again rejected allegations that Moscow is backing pro-Russia forces, saying it is up to the Ukrainian nation to decide the future of their country, which, he said, is currently “under outside control.”
"It doesn't depend on us; it depends on the patience of Ukraine, of the Ukrainian people — how long the Ukrainian people are willing to endure this chaos," he went on to say.
On Monday, Ukraine’s parliament known as Verkhovna Rada passed the constitutional amendments that grant more autonomy to the pro-Russia eastern region of the country. The legislation greatly infuriated the country’s right-wing nationalist parties, which launched massive demonstrations outside the parliament and clashed with security forces.
Donetsk and Lugansk are two mainly Russian-speaking regions in eastern Ukraine where deadly clashes are underway between pro-Russia forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations in April last year to crush pro-Russia protests there.
In May 2014, the situation in the two flashpoint regions started to worsen as residents overwhelmingly voted for independence from Ukraine in referendums.
During peace talks in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk on February 11-12, the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine agreed on the withdrawal of heavy weapons from Ukraine’s front lines and a ceasefire. The two sides, however, have continued to engage in sporadic clashes.
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