Poroshenko: Amendments to Constitution Only After Russian Troops Withdraw

Giving an interview to French TV channel Itele, President Poroshenko stressed that the amendments to the Constitution providing for decentralization and the so-called ‘special status’ for Donbass were possible only after Russian troops are withdrawn from Donbas.

"I believe it is perfectly clear and based on the logic behind the Minsk agreements. Security is the top priority. We must ensure a real ceasefire first. Unfortunately, it is not the case now," he told while answering why the amendments are not introduced to the Constitution.

"Ukraine withdrew its heavy armaments and cooperates with the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, which repeatedly confirmed that Ukraine complies with its commitments. At the same time, Russia continues to supply weapons and ammunition through the uncontrolled part of the border and to swing forces only to keep the escalation ongoing," Poroshenko informed.

He said that all the previous provisions of Minsk had to be implemented before amending Ukraine’s Constitution: "Russian troops have to leave Ukraine. The OSCE mission should be granted access to the uncontrolled part of the Ukraine-Russia border and to other zones; withdrawing heavy armaments and weaponry is also critical," Poroshenko stressed.

"Only after these conditions are met can we proceed to organizing elections. Another issue is that the elections have to be free, democratic and fair, which is hardly possible as of now," the President uttered.

Source: Ukrayinska Pravda