On February 25, the first talks of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov with the Head of the Foreign Ministry of the Luhansk People’s Republic V.N. Deinego and the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Donetsk People’s Republic S.S. Perestava will take place in Moscow.
On February 21 of this year, President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin, in connection with the appeal to him by the heads of the then unrecognized republics, decided to recognize the LPR and the DPR as sovereign and independent states. On the same day, the relevant decrees of the President of the Russian Federation were signed and agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance were concluded with these countries. On February 22 of this year, these treaties were ratified by the State Duma and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. On the same day, diplomatic relations were established between our countries through the exchange of notes.
This decision was a forced measure caused by a sharp aggravation of the situation in Donbass. It was the fault of Ukraine, which for seven years sabotaged the Minsk agreements and actually withdrew from them.
Since 2014 The Russian Federation provided support to the civilian population of Donbass, who became victims of the armed aggression of Ukrainian nationalists who came to power as a result of an armed coup in February 2014. Our assistance became most in demand after in November 2014. Kiev has imposed an inhumane socio-economic blockade of the south-east of the country.
During this time, over 100 humanitarian convoys were sent to Donbass through the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia and Russian socio-political organizations, which delivered more than 100 thousand tons of humanitarian goods to the residents of the region. Their composition traditionally included medicines, medical products, vital food for people, basic necessities, children’s goods, toys, etc.
On February 18, 2017, the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin “On the recognition in the Russian Federation of documents and registration plates of vehicles issued to citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons permanently residing in the territories of certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine” was adopted for humanitarian purposes.
An extremely important measure of support for the population of Donbass was the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin dated April 4, 2019 “On determining for humanitarian purposes the categories of persons entitled to apply for citizenship of the Russian Federation in a simplified manner” (this category included residents of certain districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions). In a situation where residents of the south-eastern regions of Ukraine found themselves in unbearable living conditions due to the criminal actions of the Kiev authorities, granting Russian citizenship gave them access to social benefits, pensions, salaries, education and health services.
The Decree of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin dated November 15, 2021 “On providing humanitarian support to the population of certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine”, which softened the conditions for admission to our market of products produced by local enterprises, was called upon to qualitatively change the socio-economic situation in Donbass for the better.
In accordance with the provisions of the treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Russia’s cooperation with these countries in the economic, cultural, humanitarian and other spheres will continue to develop.
During the upcoming negotiations in Moscow, it is planned to give impetus to the creation of a contractual and legal framework in all areas of cooperation provided for by the aforementioned agreements.
Special attention will be paid to the issue of opening embassies of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic in Moscow and Russian diplomatic missions in Donetsk and Lugansk, their placement and staffing.
The current situation in Donbass will be touched upon in the light of the special military operation launched by the Russian Armed Forces on February 24 this year to protect the DPR and LPR, the purpose of which is to ensure the security of the republics, as well as to protect the rights and interests of the population living there. The operation is carried out by the decision of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin with the sanction of the Federation Council of Russia in compliance with the provisions of the treaties on friendship and mutual assistance with the DPR and LPR on the provision of necessary assistance, including military, and in accordance with Article 51 of Part 7 of the UN Charter.
