RIA Novosti: East Ukraine Demarcation Line Yet to Be Set: DPR Prime Minister

NOVOAZOVSK (Ukraine), October 30 (RIA Novosti) – The self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk (DPR) will stipulate its own conditions on if it were to sign a demarcation line agreement with Kiev, DPR Prime Minister Alexander Zakharchenko said Thursday.

“There will be new conditions [on the signing of the demarcation line agreement], ours. We consider the entire Donetsk region DPR territory,” Zakharchenko said, recalling that Kiev had cancelled the signature of its representative on the previous demarcation line agreement.

“We have not conducted any new talks yet,” Zakharchenko said.

On Wednesday, the DPR deputy prime minister announced that Kiev withdrew from the delineation agreement without giving any explanations for the move. The deal that was signed on October 11 envisaged the demarcation line to be along the line of contact between the two sides as of September 19.

The delineation is a key condition laid down in the ceasefire agreement between Kiev and the independence supporters signed on September 5. It should serve as a preparatory stage for the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from both sides, which will contribute to stabilizing relations between both sides after residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine established so-called people’s republics and later declared independence. The crisis escalated in mid-April, when Kiev authorities launched a military operation against independence supporters in the regions.