The so-called "Plan B" toward Donbas settlement will include new approaches to negotiations and forms of influence on Russia, which keeps hindering the peace process, says Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of Ukraine who now represents the country in the Trilateral Contact Group.
"Ukraine will do and is doing everything so that the Normandy format and the Minsk consultative group work to implement the decisions made in the Normandy format. Ukraine has been and remains a supporter precisely of this concept adopted on December 9, 2019, and being blocked by the other party," Kravchuk told Ukraine 24 TV.
According to him, Russia, within the framework of negotiations on Donbas, "is doing nothing to remove obstacles from the path."
Read alsoUkraine may demand that SWIFT be switched off for Russia – chief negotiator on Donbas"We spend hours talking about different things, but nothing about moving forward. We can't keep working like this forever. If such a formula of work that Russia offers prevails, we will have to look for other forms of influence," said the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG.
Kravchuk noted that "the NSDC is preparing a solution to the issue, which will see new approaches."
"This, in my opinion, is exactly what Plan B is, but I can't discuss it now. Firstly, it's yet to be finalized so people are working on it, and secondly, this is the issue of the TCG – we take into work what's been decided on the state level and that of the Normandy format," Kravchuk said.
Earlier, the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG Leonid Kravchuk said that the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine could approve Plan B for Donbas in early 2021.
Ukrainian Action Plan for Donbas
The Action Plan for Donbas Settlement was announced by the Office of the President at a recent meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE). The plan, the President's Office said, should be developed using the proposals of the Normandy Four leaders (Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia).
On November 5, the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG revealed the five main points of the new plan.
On November 10, the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG stated that the members of the political subgroup "took as a basis" the Action Plan put forward by the Ukrainian team.
However, on November 24, Russia's representative in the political subgroup said Moscow supported the plan submitted by the ORDLO representatives (the internationally unrecognized entities in eastern Ukraine – in fact, Russia's proxy forces).
