US Welcomes Kiev Parliament’s Vote on Decentralization

The United States welcomes a procedural vote in Ukraine’s parliament to approve draft constitutional amendments on the decentralization of power in the country, US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said in a briefing on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Ukraine’s parliament passed a reading of the draft constitutional changes with 265 votes on Monday, but the bill will need 300 votes at a later stage to become law.

"We welcome today’s vote by Ukraine’s parliament on draft constitutional amendments on decentralization,” Toner said.

“This is an important step towards good governance for all Ukrainians, which also helps fulfill another key piece of the Minsk agreements.”

The proposed changes to the constitution are aimed at providing greater autonomy to Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine as part of the Minsk agreement to end the conflict in the country.

The passage of the procedural hurdle sparked clashes outside parliament on Monday as right-wing Ukrainian nationalists fired weapons and tossed grenades, leaving one National Guard soldier dead and at least 100 people wounded.