Ukraine Agreed to Ensure Special Status of the Donbass Regions

Participants in the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk - Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE agreed on a single version of the “Steinmeier formula” – a document providing for the introduction of special status in Ukraine for regions controlled by pro-Russian separatists. The signing of the agreement was reported by Russian agencies TASS, Interfax and RBC, and later by President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. The “Steinmeier formula” is named for German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The agreement stipulates that Ukraine undertakes to grant special status to part of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions on the day of local elections in the regions under the supervision of the OSCE. After the recognition of the election as a whole complies with the standards of the international organization and the legislation of Ukraine, the status should be fixed constantly. The document does not contain provisions on the presence of troops in the regions or the procedure for conducting local elections in the Donbass. It only concerns the application of the law on special status of Donbass adopted in 2014 by the Verkhovna Rada. On September 18, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko stated that he had agreed in principle to “Steinmeier formula”. Then he emphasized that the holding of elections in the Donbass is possible only if a number of security measures are implemented. At a briefing on Tuesday, Zelensky said that Kyiv would not agree to the elections in the separatist regions, as long as foreign troops were present there. According to him, the “Steinmeier formula” should be included in the new edition of the law on the special status of Donbass, which has yet to be prepared for adoption by the Verkhovna Rada. Radio Liberty