Law on de-occupation of Donbas does not violate any obligations - Poroshenko

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said this at a meeting of the Military Cabinet of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on February 20, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"I want to emphasize that this law in no way violates any international obligations of Ukraine, including the Minsk agreements, as the Russian Federation is trying to depict that now, justifying its reluctance and outright sabotage in the implementation of the Minsk agreements," the head of state said.

He noted that this law was a framework document and required further legislative support of the actions of the Armed Forces and other law enforcement units.

In this context, Poroshenko appealed to MPs, members of the Cabinet of Ministers and the National Security and Defense Council to continue work on improving the legal mechanisms for restoring the territorial integrity of the state.

As reported, on February 20, Poroshenko signed the law on the peculiarities of state policy on ensuring Ukraine's state sovereignty over temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions at a meeting of the NSDC Military Cabinet, which was broadcast live.

On January 18, 2018, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the law on the peculiarities of state policy on ensuring Ukraine's state sovereignty over temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in which Russia is recognized as an aggressor state carrying out temporary occupation of part of Ukrainian territory.

The document identifies the date of the beginning of the occupation of part of Ukraine, in particular, Crimea and Sevastopol - February 20, 2014.

The law on Donbas reintegration outlines the peculiarities of the state policy on securing Ukraine's state sovereignty in temporarily occupied territories in Donbas.

The document foresees that the boundaries and list of districts, towns, villages and settlements, parts of their territories temporarily occupied in Donetsk and Luhansk regions are determined by the president under a motion from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, prepared on the basis of proposals from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to the law, responsibility for financial or moral damage done to Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression is placed on Russia in accordance with generally recognized principles and norms of international law.

In addition, MPs established that persons participating in Russia's armed aggression or involved in the Russian occupation administration are held criminally liable for violating Ukrainian legislation and norms of international humanitarian law.

On February 8, 2018, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Andriy Parubiy signed the law.