LUHANSK, September 18 (RIA Novosti) – The leaders of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) could participate in the tripartite meeting of the Ukraine-Russia-OSCE contact group on Friday, a source, familiar with the matter told RIA Novosti Thursday.
"[LPR head Ihor] Plotnytskiy and [parliament head Aleksey] Karyakin were not present at the workplace," the interlocutor told RIA Novosti, hinting that they are most likely already heading to Minsk for the negotiations.
Earlier the Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus confirmed that the contact group on the reconciliation of the Ukrainian crisis will hold another meeting in Minsk on Friday. The official, however, was unable to specify either the exact time of the meeting or the composition of the Ukrainian delegation.
Earlier, a representative for the First Deputy Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Andrei Purgin informed RIA Novosti that the official had already flown to the Belarusian capital for the upcoming talks.
On September 5, Minsk hosted the second meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine. Officials from Russia, Ukraine, the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's republics and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) discussed the crisis in the country's South-East, where Kiev had been fighting pro-independence forces since April. The talks resulted in the agreement of a ceasefire which is for the most part being upheld.