Russia hoping for US to push Ukraine into complying with Minsk agreement

The Russian Embassy in the United States stated that Russia is hoping for US to increase pressure on Ukraine to guarantee that Kyiv fulfils its obligations under the Minsk agreements, which was signed in 2014 for settling the Donbas conflict. On Friday, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the US appreciated Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement about settling the Donbas conflict based on the Minsk agreement, and backed such efforts.

According to the Russian diplomatic mission, Ukraine must stop the continuous undermining of the Minsk agreement. The Russian Embassy stated in a Facebook post, "We hope that the U.S. Government will heed sound judgments and influence 'the strategic partner' so that the latter fulfills its obligations in close cooperation with Donetsk and Lugansk."

Putin signed an order to provide humanitarian aid to residents of Donbas districts on November 15

After refusing to recognise the new Ukrainian administration and declaring independence from Ukraine in 2014, Kyiv initiated a military offensive against the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. On November 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order to provide humanitarian aid to residents of Donbas that are not under Kyiv's control, according to TASS News.

The Russian president has given the Russian government a month to take a set of measures to make it easier for commodities from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) to enter the Russian market. These commodities can compete in state procurement tenders alongside Russian goods.

The Russian government has also been told to complete work on certifying certificates of origin for items granted to enterprises operating in the DPR and LPR within a month, according to TASS News. As a part of the help package, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised the government to eliminate quality limitations on commodities going to and from these territories across the Russian state border.

Putin's decree contributes to overcoming the humanitarian blockade of Donbas

According to Russia's authorized representative in the Contact Group on Resolving the Situation in Eastern Ukraine, Boris Gryzlov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's decree on supporting the population of the Donbas region is a purely humanitarian response to Ukraine's refusal to honour the Minsk accords.

According to TASS News, he further said that President Putin's decree contributes to overcoming the aggressive economic and humanitarian blockade of Donbas and stabilising the social and economic situation in the region.

(Inputs from ANI)

Image: AP