MOSCOW. Feb 22 (Interfax) - Chairman of the Russian State Duma's Committee on CIS Affairs Leonid Kalashnikov believes that the independence of the Donetsk (DPR) and Luhansk (LPR) People's Republics will be recognized within the borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as they existed during an independence referendum.
"The treaty does not specify this issue, but I think that what is meant here is the sovereignty that was confirmed at that old and sole referendum, which was conducted with the borders that are different from the DPR's borders today," Kalashnikov told reporters on Tuesday in response to a question from Interfax.
"Nowadays, the DPR and the LPR have smaller territories than those that existed at the time of the referendum, but they believe that their sovereignty applies to this territory as well," he said.
"But this treaty does not say how these borders will be restored. It is not up to you and me to decide how they will be restored," he said.