MOSCOW. March 16 (Interfax) - Ukraine is looking for excuses not to engage in dialogue with representatives of the Donbas territories that are not under Kyiv's control and therefore views the United Nations Security Council resolution that approved the Minsk Agreements as not obligatory, Russian Presidential Executive Office deputy chief Dmitry Kozak said.
"The clumsy attacks on said UN resolution and the Minsk Agreements have been prompted chiefly by the fact that, in line with these international documents, Ukraine has undertaken the obligation to maintain dialogue with Donbas representatives on all aspects of the settlement process. Directly, without mediators, and without any reservations. This is difficult. This will require some domestic policy compromises. Therefore, attempts are being made to oust Donbas from the negotiating process by hook or by crook," Kozak, who represents Russia in the Normandy-format talks at the level of political advisors, said in an interview with Interfax.
According to Ukraine, UN Security Council Resolution 2202 is not mandatory, and if this logic is followed, the Package of Measures can be implemented selectively, at the discretion of the negotiating parties, he said.
"However, all acts of international law are mandatory for their signatories. As long as Ukraine's signature remains on the agreements, the UN Security Council resolution is an act of international law binding for Ukraine, even if only Ukraine's signature remains there. No response has been given to this reasoning," Kozak said.
Ukraine has been particularly active of late in promoting the idea of replacing Donbas with Russia as a party to the settlement process and transferring the entire set of solutions for settling the conflict to the Normandy format, in which Donbas representatives are not involved, he said.
"That's impossible. Without the UN Security Council, the Normandy format can't deprive Donbas of its own mandate in settling the conflict," Kozak said.
It is easier for Ukraine to achieve agreements on domestic political issues with other states, and that is why it is seeking to bring the matter precisely to this level, he said.
"According to Kyiv, this is an international conflict today, and as soon as its settlement is brought exclusively to an international level, emphasis will be placed on its domestic policy nature," Kozak said.