Donetsk and Lugansk keen to join Russia

Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) have expressed willingness to become part of the Russian Federation, according to the joint statement by Representatives of DPR and LPR to the Contact Group, Denis Pushilin and Vladislav Deinego.

“DPR and LPR do consider Crimea as part of Russia. Furthermore, our republics would also like to become part of the Russian Federation,” the Donetsk News Agency quotes the statement.

In addition, the republics recall their bills of amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine wherein they mention Crimea and Sevastopol. “Crimea is not and cannot be a subject of the Minsk Talks,” Pushilin and Deinego said. However, “considering that Ukraine propaganda seeks to create a political event from insignificant formalities,” the authorized representatives of the DPR and LPR decided to recall their proposals that mention the peninsula.  “To avoid further speculations on the topic, we are recalling the bills of amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine where Crimea and Sevastopol are mentioned,” the representatives say in the statement.

As EADaily reported earlier, on Tuesday, media outlets of both the republics published the texts of amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine that were sent to Kiev by the leaderships of DPR and LPR. Both the republics were called as parts of Ukraine with a special status and even Crimea was recognized as an autonomous republic in Ukraine.  These texts triggered a wave of discontent in mass media and social media, and Pushilin and Deinego hurried to explain that they had no intention to return Russian Crimea to Ukraine and that the statements on the integrity of Ukraine were made to speed up the negotiation process.