You're reading: Poroshenko: Local elections in Donbas could be held after security guaranteed

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says local elections in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, could be held only after the security provisions of the Minsk peace agreements have been fulfilled.

“When we speak about a road map [for the implementation of the Minsk peace agreements on Donbas], [we mean that] it stipulates sequence and guarantees. That is why, when, for instance, we’ve got a date of the elections and conditions for making them happen, undoubtedly, these issues involve security. Namely, these are a ceasefire, the withdrawal of foreign troops, observance of the disengagement regime, OSCE [monitors’] unrestricted access, and the release of hostages,” Poroshenko said at a press conference at the Embassy of Ukraine in Germany in the early hours of Thursday after Normandy Four talks.

The fulfillment of the listed security conditions “should precede the transition to the implementation of the political provisions,” reads a posting published on Poroshenko’s official Facebook page later.