Donbass Residents' Calls to Join Russia Cannot Be Addressed Spontaneously

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he was ready to think about postponing the implementation of the Minsk agreement on Ukrainian reconciliation.

SEVASTOPOL (Sputnik) — Calls by the residents of the eastern Ukraine's Donbass region to join Russia cannot be addressed spontaneously, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.

"Our hearts and souls are with Donbass, but unfortunately, such issues cannot be solved on the street. These are serious issues that concern the fate of the whole Russia and people who live in Donbass," Putin told journalists.

Also Putin said that he was ready to think about postponing the implementation of the Minsk agreement on Ukrainian reconciliation, adding, however, that all sides should aim at fulfilling their obligations under the deal.

“Mr. Kuchma [Ukrainian ex-president and reconciliation negotiator] said that they have no time to fulfill everything. It is possible to think about postponing of the deadlines, but it is better to aim at implementing everything on time,” Putin said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that there are no alternatives to the Minsk agreement on settling the situation in Ukraine.

“Concerning the implementation of the Minsk agreements, in my opinion, there are no alternatives to it. Most importantly, a direct contact between Kiev forces and the authorities of Donetsk and Lugansk needs to established, in order to implement the Minsk deal,” Putin told journalists.

“Changes to the constitution and the law on local elections should be adopted after consultations with Donbass. Such coordination has not been carried out yet,” the president stated.

According to the Russian president, it is the key problem for Ukraine at the moment.

“It is necessary to finally implement the law on the special status of [Donetsk and Lugansk] territories, previously passed by [Verkhovna] Rada,” the president added.

Putin also called for the amnesty law to be adopted in Ukraine.