Volker on the status of "DNR/LNR": they were created by Russia inside Ukraine and do not have local legitimacy

The so-called "people's republics" of the occupied Donbass do not have any prospects for legitimization, including in the result of the implementation of the Minsk agreements, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations has said in an interview with the Echo of Moscow radio station.

"The important thing here is the status of the so-called "people's republics". They were created by Russia inside Ukraine, they have no local legitimacy, they are completely illegitimate within the framework of the Minsk agreements", - he explained.

He told that according to the Minsk agreements, the territory of the now occupied Donbass should return under Ukrainian control. "The so-called "republics" were created in the conditions of occupation and lack of general security, there is no place for these formations in the constitution of Ukraine", - Kurt Volker stated unequivocally.

That is why, he is sure, negotiations should be conducted with the one who unleashed this conflict and who still makes decisions. "This is a complex issue, and we are committed to negotiate with Russia, which ultimately makes the decisions in this respect, in the search for a settlement of the restoration of security, and then the restoration of constitutional order... At the moment, the Russians control the security situation, military forces and political structures", - Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations explained the U.S. position.