UNIAN
No referendum on severing the Donbas from the rest of Ukraine is possible, but there is a possibility of holding a referendum on the regime of local government, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Friday at a press conference on the occasion of his annual address to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine "On the internal and external situation of Ukraine in 2015."
"The issue of separating off the Donbas is a provocation. As the president and the Supreme Commander, as the guarantor of the Constitution, I’m a guarantor of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. I will never allow the holding of a referendum on the separation of the Donbas [from Ukraine]," Poroshenko said.
"As for the regime of local government - if it requires constitutional changes, there is a corresponding constitutional procedure, including a referendum. And as the guarantor of the Constitution, I will ensure the free will of citizens so that all Ukrainians will have an opportunity to express how they see the future of the Donbas - but only as a part of Ukraine," Poroshenko said.