MINSK (Sputnik) — Russia insists on giving the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics in eastern Ukraine a special status under the so-called "Steinmeier formula," Russian envoy to the Contact Group on Ukraine Boris Gryzlov said Monday.
"Russia continues to insist on the implementation of the law on the special status of Donbas in line with the Steinmeier formula, as well as on the prompt withdrawal of forces and weaponry in Stanytsia Luhanska," Gryzlov said following a meeting of the Contact Group in Belarusian capital.
The "Steinmeier forumula," a mechanism proposed by former German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, envisions holding local elections under the oversight of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which must confirm whether they met international standards. Upon the confirmation, the legislation establishing the Donbas special status (de facto autonomy) would take effect.
