Yermak said the idea voiced by Fokin does not reflect Ukraine's official stance.
Head of Ukrainian President's Office Andriy Yermak has commented on the idea of the "special status" for the entire Donbas in eastern Ukraine (Luhansk and Donetsk regions) and general pardon for armed formations.
He said the idea voiced by First Deputy Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on Donbas settlement Vitold Fokin does not reflect Ukraine's official stance, as reported by the president's press service.
According to Yermak, most of the positions expressed by Fokin, in fact, reflect the provisions of the first and second Minsk agreements.
"Let's separate the personal stance from that of the delegation. Vitold Fokin has just joined the negotiation process and is studying the topic. And today the Ukrainian side is trying to mitigate some odious and ambiguous formulations that the previous government agreed to, or apply exclusively within Ukraine's national interests," Yermak said.
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Yermak also said the Minsk agreements and the proposals of the Ukrainian delegation to finalize the bill on the peculiarities of local government in occupied Donbas do not provide for a special status for the entire territory of Donbas, i.e. it is only about the temporarily occupied areas.
"There are clear red lines that have been repeatedly voiced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Therefore, the position of the Ukrainian delegation in the TCG fully meets Ukraine's national interests," he added.