REUTERS
The implementation of the Minsk agreements would help Kyiv resume the payment of social benefits to residents of the Donbas, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said at the opening of his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande on Thursday, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
"The Minsk plan is very simple: we demand an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the closure of the border, or the return of Ukrainian control over its state border,” Poroshenko said.
“We demand the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the Ukrainian territory, [and] the beginning of the political process by holding local elections in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in accordance with Ukrainian legislation.
“And it is also very important to take serious steps for economic development through the creation of a free economic zone, [and] the resumption of payment of social benefits."
At the same time, Poroshenko drew attention to the need to begin a humanitarian mission for the residents of the war-torn Donbas.