LUHANSK, Ukraine
Leader of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk province said they will not give up the fight for independence despite the cease-fire deal agreed on September 5.
Igor Plotnitskiy, head of the self-proclaimed 'People's Republic of Luhansk,' told a press conference on Tuesday that Friday's truce deal does not necessarily mean they have relinquished their aim to become fully independent from Ukraine.
The two secessionist eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk unilaterally declared independence from Ukraine following a controversial Moscow-backed referendum on May 11.
"No change in our demand for independence. This is the request of the people. Everyone must acknowledge that there will be no turning back to the past," said the rebel leader.
In previous remarks, he called the cease-fire a 'compulsory measure' only which does not mean the acceptance of dependency on Ukraine.
He stressed that their self-proclaimed republic deemed itself a part of the Russian nation in all ways, saying "Russia is our home. No one can deter us from returning home."
Plotnitskiy said the status of the two rebel regions was not discussed at the Minsk summit of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on Friday where Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists agreed on a truce deal to halt the fighting in the five-month conflict, but added that it will be on the agenda of the next related OSCE meeting.
The rebel leader argued the representation of the separatist region on equal terms with Ukraine at the Minsk meeting indicated that they are not perceived by the Kiev government as 'separatists' or 'terrorists.'
He further described Ukraine as a country which they wish to have relations with as a 'neighbor.' He also hinted that they could make some concessions during the peace talks, for the sake of full independence.
The cease-fire agreement, which is being monitored by Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE - comprised of an immediate cease-fire in the region; the monitoring of the truce by the OSCE; the adoption of decentralizing laws by Ukraine; the distribution of more power to the regional administration in Donetsk and Luhansk and the holding of early elections in the cities.
The United Nations estimates that over 2,500 people have been killed in Ukraine’s restive east since mid-April, when Kiev launched military operations in the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk to restore government control after pro-Moscow separatists declared independence.
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