MOSCOW. Feb 15 (Interfax) - Russia is committed to the Minsk Agreements, yet its population is highly sensitive to the Donbas events, and the recognition of the self-proclaimed republics is extremely relevant to the public, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Journalists asked Peskov at a press briefing on Tuesday whether the Kremlin deemed it reasonable to consider the recognition of the Donbas republics, given the respective call from the State Duma. "I'd rather not jump the gun. To my knowledge, no such decisions have been made by the State Duma just yet," Peskov said.
"Still, everyone knows that the issue is highly relevant to the public. Indeed, the public, our people, are very sensitive to everything that is happening in Donbas. Of course, everyone cares for those who live in Donbas, considering the ongoing events and the tensions," he said.
No one will stay indifferent to the fate of Donbas, Peskov said. "Indeed, that's the state of our public opinion. At the same time, Russia has repeatedly declared its commitment to the Minsk Package of Measures and its support for the soonest fulfillment of the entire plan of action in the sequence it envisages," he said.
As to whether there are hypothetical conditions where Russia would have to recognize the self-proclaimed republics, Peskov said, "I cannot answer this question. You are aware that no official decisions have been made to this end, and there are no official discussions of the kind. Clearly, our deputies speak people's mind, express the public opinion, so they discuss issues relevant to the people. We understand that, there is no other way to view this."