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A referendum on the future of beleaguered eastern Ukraine? The proposal recalls the actions of Russia in Crimea. The excitement is great between Moscow, Minsk and Washington.
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin negotiated concrete proposals for the Ukraine conflict at their Helsinki Summit according to Muscovite sources. The Bloomberg news agency reports that Putin has proposed a referendum in the separatist regions of eastern Donetsk and Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine. Both the Ukrainian government and the US State Department rejected the proposal
. According to the Russian ambbadador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, the conflict in eastern Ukraine was worrying between Trump and Putin. "This problem has been discussed, concrete proposals have been made to solve this problem," said Antonov. However, the Russian diplomat did not comment on the Bloomberg report on a possible referendum
The referendum would be very explosive
Bloomberg reported that Trump had asked Putin not to propose a referendum, citing participants in a meeting of Putin with Russian diplomats to give him time to give him time to examine him.
Such a referendum would be extremely explosive. In March 2014, Moscow organized a referendum on the affiliation of the Crimean Peninsula to the Russian Federation . According to official results, 95.5% of the peninsula recently annexed by Russia voted in favor of it
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) called the referendum 39, unconstitutional and refused to offer election observers. The vote was internationally regarded as an attempt by Moscow to legitimize the annexation of Crimea. The UN General Assembly declared the vote "invalid" by a large majority.
"Discussing Other Options"
Russian Ambbadador Antonov pointed out that there had been "no collusion" at the Helsinki Summit. The Russian side had made "several very serious proposals", some of which had been presented at Putin's joint press conference on Monday. There have been discussions "on Syria" and on Ukraine, and experts have been tasked to deal with it, Antonov said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it would not comment on the report. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Sakharova added: "If the international community, especially the United States, can not persuade Kiev to respect the Minsk agreements, other options can be discussed. " The Minsk agreement of February 2015 aimed to pacify the conflict, but it continues to violate its obligations.
"The referendum has no legitimacy"
The state department in Washington has denied a possible referendum on the future of eastern Ukraine. The US government does not consider support for a referendum in the civil war region, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Heather Nauert wrote on Twitter. "A referendum would have no legitimacy," said Nauert. The United States would continue to support the Minsk agreement of February 2015. The agreement was intended to pacify the conflict, but it continues to violate its obligations.
The Ukrainian government also opposed a possible referendum. "We have definitely rejected the strange idea of holding a referendum in the occupied territories," said Oleksii Makeyev, head of the political department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Twitter
$ 200 million of more from the Pentagon
. financial support for the modernization of the Ukrainian army. The Pentagon claims to transfer $ 200 million (about 170 million euros) from a security cooperation fund to Kiev.
However, the money will not be used for lethal weapons. On the contrary, according to the Pentagon, equipment for training programs, development of command structures and communication with the Ukrainian armed forces should be funded. In addition, the money will be used for night vision, mobility and medical treatment.
In eastern Ukraine, a bloody conflict between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists has been going on for four years . Up to now, more than 10,000 people have been killed. The Ukrainian government, the EU and the United States accuse Russia of militarily supporting the separatists. Moscow rejects the allegations.
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