MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk are ready for a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and regret that this part of the Minsk peace agreements remains unfulfilled, Donetsk People's Republic head Alexander Zakharchenko told Sputnik on Thursday.
"It is very unfortunate that the main part of the Minsk agreements is being breached, we have no direct contact with the Ukrainian government. And there is no meeting," Zakharchenko said.
"The main postulate [of the Minsk deals]…it is written in plain text: in order to normalize the situation and settle relations, a direct meeting needs to be held between the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics and the Ukrainian leadership," he added.
The Minsk deal on Ukraine's reconciliation was struck in February 2015 by Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France and later signed by Kiev and the Donbass self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Both warring parties have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce despite agreeing to the ceasefire deal.
