Ukrainian President Says Issue Of Amnesty For Donbas Militias Comes After Security

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th December, 2019) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that amnesty for Donbas militias would be discussed only after the situation in the region calmed down and elections would become possible.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Kiev adopted all the amnesty laws in the framework of the Minsk Protocol, and they would be in force after the elections in the Donbas region. The Luhansk People's Republic then accused the Ukrainian authorities of lying, stressing that Kiev did not fulfill any obligations on the amnesty. Moreover, the paragraph on amnesty is above the paragraph on elections in the Minsk agreements.

"When we see after the "Normandy" [talks] that we have such an opportunity, that troops are being withdrawn, illegal armed formations [are being withdrawn], if we really will have security in this territory, if we have the opportunity to hold elections, we will talk about amnesty, amnesty for people, who have no blood on their hands," Zelenskyy said, as quoted by the Ukraine tv Channel.

He also added that the Ukrainian parliament adopted a law on amnesty, but it was not signed by the president.