Former president of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma has been authorized to represent Kiev at the tripartite contact group to resolve the situation in Donbass, according to Ukraine leader Petro Poroshenko’s decree that has just been published on his official website.
The document dates back to July 8 2014. As EAD reported earlier, at their last meeting in Minsk on January 31, the authorized representatives of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic said they anticipated an official document to be published on behalf of Ukraine’s president concerning the powers of Leonid Kuchma. Kuchma’s status had not been determined until later.
Kiev’s step has already sparked a wave of skepticism among other participants in the negotiations. “With his decree, the president of Ukraine has authorized Leonid Kuchma to represent Ukraine at the contact group. However, Kuchma is not authorized to made any decisions on behalf of Ukraine and much less be responsible for fulfillment of any decisions,” said Vladislav Deynego, deputy head of the People's Council of the LPR.