Ukraine’s NSDC Approves One of Five Scenarios of Donbas Reintegration

At a closed session of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, one of the five scenarios of reintegration of the occupied part of the Donbas has been approved as the main one.

This was announced by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Danilov.

"Today, at the NSDC meeting, one of the scenarios has been approved, which will be implemented as the main one for the time being," he said.

READ MORE: NSDC Chief Oleksiy Danilov Explains Separation of Forces in Donbas

Danilov noted that he could not reveal the five scenarios, but did name four "key points" that were discussed:

• returning prisoners to Ukraine;
• ceasefire;
• regaining control over the entire section of the Russian-Ukrainian border;
• holding local elections.

The NSDC Secretary stressed that all five scenarios stipulate the return of the occupied territories of Donbas to Ukraine.

"The president is going to the Normandy format summit, armed with certain information that I think will be used absolutely for the benefit of our country," he said.

Danilov added that the NSDC expects pressure from Russian President Vladimir Putin because this pressure never ceased.

"The option that Putin is a dove of peace is far-fetched. But we would like it to happen. We will find out how it will go on December 9," he said.

READ MORE: Zelenskyy Does Not Expect Swift Resolution to Donbas War in Paris

The Secretary of the NSDC said that the scenarios take into account the different outcomes of the summit — if they do not agree on anything, if they agree in part, or if they agree completely.

"There will be no capitulation, no surrender of national interests," Danilov added.

The leaders of the Normandy Four states: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, President of France Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet in Paris on December 9.

READ MORE: Julian Röpcke on German-Ukrainian Relations and Normandy Four Meeting

The last meeting of the Normandy Four at the level of heads of state was held in Berlin on October 19, 2016.

According to the poll, 75% of Ukrainians support Zelenskyy's negotiations with Putin to resolve the Donbas conflict.

Putin and Zelenskyy will also hold an informal bilateral meeting in Paris.

Thanks to the support from our readers, Hromadske International has been existing for five years. We cover hot-button political topics, high-profile corruption, and human rights issues. We report from the Donbas and annexed Crimea. If you would like to support Hromadske International, you can donate on this page. 

Unlike many other media in Ukraine, we are not owned by oligarchs or politicians. Please help support independent journalism in Ukraine.