Poroshenko: new law on the Donbas will allow Ukraine to receive Western weapons Saturday, October 7, 2017 1:00:00 PM

A bill on the reintegration of the Donbas, which was adopted on its first reading, will provide an additional argument for the provision of Western weapons to Kyiv, as stated in the message of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko published on website of the presidential administration.

"This [draft law] further strengthens the legal framework for the use of the Armed Forces, expands their capabilities in the region. This strengthens the arguments in favor of providing Ukraine with defensive weapons," Poroshenko said. The President stressed that Ukraine reserves "the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter" (which refers to the inalienable right of states to individual or collective self-defense in the case of an armed attack on the country).

Poroshenko specified that, despite the fact that the draft law regulates the military aspect of the actions of Ukrainian servicemen in the Donbas, a "peaceful, political and diplomatic way" was a key aspect.

On October 6, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a presidential bill on the reintegration of the Donbas on its first reading. 233 deputies voted for the adoption of the bill. In the document, Russia is named as an aggressor responsible for re-registering enterprises, introducing the ruble, and issuing Russian passports and license plates in the Donbas.

The Kremlin said that the bill on the reintegration of Donbas contradicts the Minsk agreements. The Press Secretary for the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, noted that calling Russia an aggressor country is unacceptable, and that the bill is "very declarative in nature."

Poroshenko submitted the bill to the Verkhovna Rada on October 5. The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) has said that the draft law contradicts the Minsk agreements in its economic and political portions.

One deputy of the People's Council of the DPR, Vladislav Brig, stated that the bill "de facto legitimizes the economic blockade" of the region.

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