Updated 9:16 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, September 10 (RIA Novosti) – The self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DPR and LPR) have no interest in the presidential bill on their status within Ukraine, an LPR spokesman said Wedensday.
“We are not familiar with this document, but we defend only the independence of the LPR, we are not interested in the status of Donbas as part of Ukraine,” Vladimir Inogorodtsev said.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said earlier on Wednesday he introduced “a bill about temporary self-administration in separate districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” intended “to ensure the peaceful return of these regions under the sovereignty of Ukraine.”
He ruled out “any kind of federalization or secession” for the two regions.
DPR and LPR announced their independence in May, refusing to acknowledge the legitimacy of the newly-instated Ukrainian government that came to power after the February 22 coup.
On September 5, the Contact Group on Ukraine, comprising the representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), had a meeting in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. As a result of the meeting, the sides signed a 12-point protocol that among other things entails adoption by Ukraine of the law on special status for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in addition to holding early elections.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he would submit to the parliament a bill on the special status of the eastern Ukrainian regions. The president emphasized that federalization of Ukraine and establishment of independent Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic were out of question.
However, DPR Prime Minister Alexander Zakharchenko said that the self-proclaimed republics will seek independence anyway, adding that the point of the Minsk talks protocol concerning the special status is not final.
Moscow said it expected the negotiations regarding the status of the self-proclaimed republics to begin shortly.
