Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov says there is a 50% probability that local elections will be held in the Russia-occupied part of Donbas.
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Speaking in an interview for the media outlet Liga.net, he mentioned former U.S. special envoy Kurt Volker's words about doubts that such elections might happen.
"Another thing is that Volker does not believe that the elections will be held, and he says he is 100% sure. I can say I don't believe either but with a 50% probability," Danilov said.
The NSDC secretary says he hopes Ukraine may retake the eastern border by the end of the year and form joint patrols with members of local communities.
At the same time, Danilov said, such patrols might include persons from the occupied part of Donbas, but only those with a Ukrainian passport and registration.
"How the patrols will be formed is a matter of protocols and approvals. An international institution should definitely participate in this: let it be the OSCE or any other, there are many of them in the world," he said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes that elections in Donbas will be held this autumn simultaneously with the local elections throughout the country.
