NOVO-OGARYOVO (Moscow Region), (Sputnik) — The president stressed that Minsk peace deal stipulates reforms of Ukraine's constitution, adding that the key to settling Ukraine's conflict is the political process described in the agreement.
"The sanctions were unilaterally imposed on Russia by the European Union. And it does not depend on us when the European Union lifts them. We have heard and are hearing today that this depends, above all, on the implementation of the Minsk agreements between the conflicting sides in Ukraine…Any objective observer today sees that the ball is in the Ukrainian authorities' court. They must, above all, fulfill these Minsk agreement conditions," Putin said, following talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The agreements entailed constitutional reform by the end of 2015, which is something that has not happened, Putin said.
The Minsk agreement, aiming to deescalate the situation in eastern Ukraine, was signed by representatives of the Kiev government and the Donbass militias in February 2015. Key points of the Minsk agreements include a ceasefire, heavy weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, constitutional reforms, including the decentralization of power in the country, and the granting of a special status to the Donbass region.
