Election in occupied Donbas no longer on Minsk agenda – Ukraine's negotiator

According to her, the de-facto authorities of the occupied Donbas and the Russian Federation are now pressing for one issue – the so-called Steinmeier formula. Frank-Walter Steinmeier is Germany's former Foreign Minister and current president-elect who actively participated in the Minsk peace process, being a party to the Normandy format, which includes Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France. His formula stipulates that the law on the special status of self-government in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions should become effective on the day of local elections in the region. The Ukrainian side insists that the local election could be held only after the withdrawal of Russian troops from eastern Ukraine.