Arseniy Yatsenyuk: My Government will never talk to terrorists

”We are ready to talk to terrorists only in case they are behind bars. We have a number of prison cells for this,” declared Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Thursday, May 28, during the Eight Kyiv Security Forum “No Security Without Values. The 29th Story of Freedom”.

The Head of Government reminded the statement of Foreign Minister of Russia which contains the need for the Ukrainian authorities “to have direct contacts with the so-called self-proclaimed republics”.

“My Government will never talk to terrorists. We are ready to talk to terrorists only in case they are behind bars. We have a number of prison cells for this,” Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced.

The Prime Minister stressed, the Government is ready to talk to the legitimately elected representatives of Donetsk and Luhansk regions: “And this is our joint task and our joint aim. So, we want to hold free and fair elections in these regions”.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk emphasized the need for Russia to implement the Minsk deal: “We do understand that the Minsk deal is definitely not the best solution, but we don’t have anything else on the table”.

At this, the Head of Government reminded that one of the key conditions is to withdraw Russian forces from the Ukrainian territory.

The agreement also envisages to stop the supply of heavy artillery, weapon – SA 11, SA 15, SA 22, multiple rocket launchers: “They are armed to the teeth in Donetsk and Luhansk. This is the well-trained and modernized Russian army that is deployed in Ukraine”.

Moreover, the Prime Minister emphasized that abiding by the Minsk deals it is necessary to resume control over Ukraine-Russia state border: “Mr. Putin, it is our border. If you want to get the Minks deal really successful, so these are three key not preconditions but conditions how to make Minsk reality, but not a vague and ambiguous piece of paper”.