He says Russia is a party to the conflict.
First Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian delegation to the Minsk Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on Donbas Vitold Fokin must resign over his controversial statements.
This opinion was expressed by head of the Ukrainian President's Office Andriy Yermak on Facebook on September 29.
Read alsoMembers of Holos parliamentary faction initiate Fokin's withdrawal from TCG
"My personal position is that Mr. Fokin must leave the TCG," Yermak said when commenting on Fokin's recent statements.
At a parliamentary committee meeting on September 29, Fokin said he had not yet seen evidence that Russia had been waging a war against Ukraine. "As for the war. I am not a politician and I cannot give any definition of this. Therefore, I have not seen any confirmation that there is a war between Russia and Ukraine," he said.
Yermak noted that although it was not Fokin who "had agreed on the commitments to arrange elections in ORDLO [Russia-occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions] before, not after, Ukraine's retaking the border with Russia" and it was not Fokin who "had agreed on the commitments to consult on amendments to Ukrainian laws," he must resign.
Yermak also stressed that the official position of Ukraine regarding the war in Donbas, which has been going on for the seventh year, is the following:
"Point 1. Yes, we have an ongoing war where Russia is a party to the conflict rather than an observer. And precisely because of this, as well as because of the annexation of Crimea, the West has imposed sanctions on Russia. Point 2. We insist on the complete end of the [Russian] occupation and return [by Russia] of all our territories – only this could mean the restoration of true peace," Yermak wrote.
"Russia must leave our land, taking everything with it – the army, armed formations, military equipment, occupying structures," he added.
Yermak also says that the TCG does not make any decisions, as it is a platform for agreeing details and deals made by the Normandy Four leaders (Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia).
"All key decisions are made by the president and the parliament of Ukraine, and the government. The president [acts] within the framework of the Normandy leaders' dialogue. And the Verkhovna Rada [Ukraine's parliament] adopts respective laws. And there's nothing else," he added.