Donetsk and Luhansk withdraw results of their "referenda" on state independence - Lavrov

Special areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts cannot be considered "independent states", as they have withdrawn the results of "referenda" on the proclamation of the "DNR/LNR". This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a press conference following talks with the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, - TASS reports.

Answering a question about the possibility of the Kremlin recognizing the independence of the "Republics of Donbas", he called for refusing to speculate on this topic.

Lavrov stressed that the "referendum" held in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts was a turning point in the history of the Ukrainian crisis.

According to the minister, its results were seriously discussed at one of the Normandy format meetings, where the Minsk agreements were being prepared. "We were begged by the leaders of France and Germany to convince the representatives of Donetsk and Luhansk to sign these Minsk agreements. That is, in fact, they went towards the Normandy Four and withdrew their decisions on independence, with the understanding that the Minsk agreements would be fulfilled from A to Z", - the head of the Russian MFA voiced the Kremlin's position on the current status of CADLO.

As previously reported, the so-called "referenda" on the independence of the "DNR" and "LNR", allegedly held in May 2014, were in fact a staged farce with a predetermined result. Their results have not been recognized by any country, including Russia.