Donetsk People’s Republic ready to withdraw all heavy weapons from conflict zone in case of similar steps by Ukraine

The Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) hopes that it will take the Ukrainian troops much less time to withdraw their heavy weapons from the conflict zone than it took Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to give a relevant instruction, says Spokesman of the DPR Defense Ministry Eduard Basurin.

This, according to the Donetsk News Agency, is how Basurin has commented on the last statement by the Ukrainian president’s press service that on Poroshenko’s instruction, Ukraine’s representatives to the Contract Group have convinced the other negotiators to approve amendments to the complex of measures to implement the Minsk agreements in the point concerning the withdrawal of tanks, artillery weapons and mortars.

RIA Novosti quotes Basurin as saying that the self-defenders are ready to withdraw all heavy weapons from the conflict zone in case of similar steps by the Ukrainian troops. “Not only aren’t the Ukrainians doing anything to withdraw their heavy weapons but they are also actively using them against us,” Basurin said.

As EADaily reported earlier, on July 21 the Contact Group agreed to withdraw heavy weapons from the contact line of the Ukrainian army and the self-defense forces of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics.

Both the Donetsk and Lugansk forces have already withdrawn their tanks and armored vehicles. The only place the Donetsk self-defenders still have heavy weapons is the north of Donetsk and Debaltsevo. In the Lugansk People’s Republic there are no heavy weapons on the contact line except for Schastye.