Minsk talks do not demonstrate great progress in terms of border control

Minsk talks do not demonstrate great progress in terms of border control. World leaders at Norman Quartet meeting in Minsk

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said at the summit in Minsk that Russia was putting forward unacceptable conditions. Will the leaders of the People's Republic of Donetsk and the People's Republic of Luhansk agree to sign the document that the Norman Quartet has coordinated? What will happen afterwards? Pravda.Ru asked expert opinion from deputy head of the department for post-Soviet foreign countries at the State Humanitarian University, Associate Professor Alexander Gushchin.

"If they sign the document, it will only regulate the process to divorce the parties. It is possible that the parties will not be able to agree on the question of the border  - this is the key question. If the DPR and the LPR lose control over the border, then Ukraine will not control the implementation of this policy of autonomy. In terms of borders, one does not have to talk about some progress here," said Alexander Gushchin.

The expert expressed a hope that there would not be war. "If they sign the document on the divorce of the parties and the demilitarized zone, then without the decision on the border of Ukraine, they will say that there is no full restoration of sovereignty. In this case, it is possible that in the coming weeks the USA will put more pressure on Russia by toughening sanctions," Alexander Gushchin said in an interview with Pravda.Ru.

"The Minsk process is important because Poroshenko and Putin take part in the talks. Yet, it is premature to talk about strategic gains and changes of USA's attitude to Russia," the expert told Pravda.Ru. 

Read the original on the Russian page of Pravda.Ru