Bohdan Yaremenko: Ukraine's interest in Minsk format is on the edge of absurd

Ukraine needs to opt out of any ideas and illusions about negotiating with terrorists.

Bohdan Yaremenko, the ex-Consul of Ukraine in Istanbul and the Chairperson of the Board of Maidan of Foreign Affairs Foundation, shared his opinion in his interview to 24 TV channel.

"Ukraine's interest in these agreements is already on the edge of absurd, he said. - While militants mount open attacks in several directions in eastern Ukraine, it concentrates its forces to convince them to comply with agreements they are not going to fulfil. So does the Russian Federation.

It is completely clear that Minsk agreements worked themselves out. In fact none of the parties is going neither abide nor implement them".

According to him, Ukraine should meet its allies and work out a new approach in EU-USA-Russia-Ukraine format. As well as to expand an agenda of issues related to aggressive Russia's foreign policy, in particular, armed invasions to the territory of neighbouring states, performance of obligations to withdraw troops from Transnistria, annexation of the Crimea and so on.

"In parallel, deviating from Minsk agreements, Ukraine can free its hands by defending the eastern territory and will be able to fight back but not only to take up static position and wait for an attack. This is exactly what Ukraine is not doing, given the interest in Minsk agreements. And this commitment costs us a human life, Yaremenko believes.

The diplomat believes, for Russia to start talking with Ukrainian authorities, and both Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics start listening to, Ukraine must prove its ability to effectively protect its territory. Unless the victory of Ukraine on the battlefield, no peace negotiations are possible. Because Russia's tactics is to reach negotiations and push the Armed Forces of Ukraine back inland of its territory.

It should be recalled that Leonid Kuchma, a member of the tripartite contact group (TCG) on settlement of the situation in Donbass, stated that so-called leaders of Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics ruined another round of talks in the capital of Belarus.