Arseniy Yatsenyuk: To replace the Geneva format of negotiations Russia offers "Abkhazia number two" on Ukraine's territory

"We won’t engage in direct negotiations with the Russian terrorists. To guarantee peace it is required a format which is acceptable to the entire world and, first of all, to Ukraine", emphasized the Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk at a Government meeting on Wednesday, November 19.

The Head of Government reminded the previous day he had held a series of international meetings, namely with Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway Erna Solberg, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, "In response to the habitual statements of the Russian side I would like to emphasize once again - and this is a common position of the Head of the Ukrainian state and the entire Ukrainian Government: the best and most effective type of negotiation is the Geneva format.

Nevertheless, according to him, "Russia is by all means trying to abandon this format", "It offers us "Abkhazia number two" on Ukraine’s territory".

"We won’t engage in direct negotiations with the Russian terrorists. If you want peace – just abide by the Minsk agreement. To guarantee peace it is required a format which is acceptable to the entire world and, first of all, to Ukraine. We need guarantees", said Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

Moreover, the Prime Minister stressed that "it is just Russia and the Kremlin which have made the population of Donetsk and Luhansk hostages and caused the situation close to a humanitarian catastrophe", "There have already broke out riots against the so-called Russian world having AK guns in their hands".

He stressed that the Government would continue the attempts to deliver humanitarian aid to the territory of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, "While Russian mercenaries are on the territory of Ukraine, there is no single opportunity to direct there any social benefits or funds. People are living in poverty".

Arseniy Yatsenyuk accentuated that Ukraine “has insisted and still stands for the need to stick to all twelve points of the Minsk accord", "Russia must execute the Minsk agreement instead of playing thimbles and trying to legalize bandits and terrorists. No elections have been held in Donetsk and Luhansk. And another lawful authority, apart from the Ukrainian authority, doesn’t exist on the territory of the Ukrainian state. Just the Ukrainian government alone, which has been elected in compliance with the Ukrainian laws and represents the interests of the Ukrainian people, but not those of the Russian regime".