Ukrainian President signs law on extending special status of Donbass region

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Photo: TASS

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has signed a law on legislative changes related to special procedures for self-government in some regions of Donetsk and Lugansk until the end of 2020.

"The President has signed it again" - the announcement was posted on the official website of Vekhovna Rada.

The Rada passed the law at an extraordinary meeting on December 12. MPs from the Servant of the People party, led by President Zelensky, analyzed the need to change the law, because "the adoption of the law brings a commitment to a peaceful solution to the Donbass problem, which President Zelensky mentioned at the recent Normandy Summit".

The Law on Special Procedures for Local Government in Certain Areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk Autonomous Region, which was enacted on October 18, 2014 and has been extended several times before, is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2019.

The law stipulates that the provisions on special status will come into force after democratic elections are held in the Donbass territories without Kiev's control.

According to the Minsk agreements, Ukraine is required to reform the constitution by amending the basic law on the basis of permanent recognition of the special status of the Donbass autonomous government. However, this has not been done so far. Moreover, the Law on the special status of Donbass, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada, has been "frozen", as its amendments are in complete contradiction with the Minsk agreements.

At the Normandy Summit in Paris (France) on December 9, Ukrainian President Zelensky in a brief press conference mentioned the extension of the law on the special status of Donbass for another year. Experts say that Ukraine needs to amend the law on the special status and consolidate this principle in the country's constitution.