Poroshenko Against Kiev's Trade Ties With 'Confiscated' Enterprises in Donbass

Ukraine opposes any trade relations with the enterprises located in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) after the introduction of a receivership regime by the republics' authorities, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Tuesday.

KIEV, March 14 (Sputnik) — On March 1, the self-proclaimed republics in Donbass decided to impose the receivership regime on Ukrainian enterprises in the area in response to the transport blockade.

"After the seizure of these enterprises we cannot have any trade relations with these 'confiscated' enterprises. We will not allow any of their activities. And we ask for support of these decisions, inter alia, through the enhancement of the EU sanctions against Russia," Poroshenko said, as quoted by his press service.

He added that Kiev's position was that the territories of Donbas controlled by both the DPR and the LPR should be returned under Ukraine's sovereignty.

In 2014, Kiev launched a military operation against the DPR and the LPR, when the two regions refused to recognize the new Ukrainian government that came to power in what they perceive to be a coup. In 2017, a group of former participants of Ukraine's military operation in Donbass, including Ukrainian lawmakers, blocked on some sections freight railroad links with areas in Donbas not controlled by Kiev.