Ukraine is not going to abandon coal and metal from the occupied Donbass - Chernysh

Ukraine is not going to abandon coal and metal from the occupied districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. This was stated by the Minister for the Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Vadym Chernysh on the air of 5 Kanal, - RBC-Ukraine reports.

"The country is not going to abandon coal and metal from the occupied territory. It is our coal and our metal, why do we have to abandon it? It is a Ukrainian value which belongs to Ukraine, not to someone else there or to the Russian Federation", - the Minister stressed.

According to him, the militants blackmailed Ukraine with non-delivery of coal during the autumn of 2016.

"Militants blackmailed us by the fact that they would not supply the coal during the whole autumn period. It means they were building obstacles in coal supply, and, unfortunately, it could lead to the rolling blackouts of electricity throughout the territory of Ukraine. And due to the fact that Minsk platform for negotiations is working, we agreed that coal will be transported from the uncontrolled territories ", - he noted.