KIEV, April 23 (RIA Novosti) – A temporary constitutional agreement to boost regional autonomy in Ukraine would allow the de-escalation of the crisis in the country while broader reforms are worked out, the regional administration of Ukraine’s Donetsk Region said Wednesday.
“The dialogue is complicated because the self-government reform is impossible without amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine, and it is a long-term process,” the Donetsk Regional Administration said in a statement.
“As of now, the best way out of the situation is signing a temporary Constitutional agreement, which would regulate issues concerning powers of the regions, governor’s elections and Russian language status,” the statement said.
According to the document, citizens of Donetsk want to live in a semi-autonomous region in a politically stable country and are waiting for concessions from Kiev.
Ukrainian authorities are currently conducting a special operation to crack down on pro-federalization activists in eastern regions of the country that have been swept by rallies since March. Moscow condemned the decision by the new Ukrainian authorities to use force against protesters, saying it was an extremely unpleasant turn of events.
Federalization supporters in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Gorlovka, Slaviansk and Kramatorsk have refused to recognize the legitimacy of the current Ukrainian government and are urging interim authorities to hold referendums similar to the one held in Crimea last month, which led to the republic's reunification with Russia.
In a bid to de-escalate the ongoing conflict, top diplomats from Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union approved a statement last Thursday, calling on the parties in Ukraine to refrain from violence, extremism and provocations, disarm militants and launch a national dialogue on constitutional reform.
