Donetsk and Lugansk state their terms for staying part of Ukraine

© ITAR-TASS/Zurab Dzhavakhadze

Comment:

Russia has started using the term 'Novorossiya' to refer to the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in its official statements and documents these last few days. Putin even went so far as to refer to the

'state' or 'statehood'

of the Republics in a recent interview, which was immediately picked up by media as an endorsement for the republics' independence. While Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said there was

no official endorsement

independence, adding that the areas should remain part of Ukraine, we wonder if this was Putin's subtle hint to Kiev: if it comes to it, Moscow will officially recognize Novorossiya. That could lead to more substantial support. Now, DPR and LPR, who have been pounding Kiev forces (retaking Lugansk airport and in the process of taking Donetsk's) -- and who have just recently called for nothing less than

full independence

-- come back with this compromise.

Representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (LPR and DPR) said on Monday

they will make every effort to preserve Ukraine's unity if Kiev accepts their demands

.

Representatives of LPR and DNR have made public their position for the meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine in the Belarusian capital Minsk that begins later on Monday.

They say "

equal talks are the only acceptable means for the settlement of the conflict and restoration of peace

". They also base on principles worked out at the Geneva meeting of representatives from Russia, the US, the European Union and Ukraine on April 17, 2014.

Vice-Premier of the DPR Andrei Purgin said on Monday he brought proposals for the contact group's meeting to reduce the duration of combat operations and the number of victims. "I've arrived here with proposals to find common points. They contain eight or nine points," Purgin said before the contact group's session. "These are initial proposals for the consultations," he added.

Purgin said he did not expect a major breakthrough at the Minsk meeting. "This is an initial stage. It can hardly end with something drastically big," he added.

What Donetsk and Luhansk demand

The list of demands that was made public ahead of the meeting of the Contact Group for Ukraine includes

the recognition of the special status of the republics' territories and the Russian language, as well as the end of Kiev's anti-terrorist operation and holding free elections in the region.

Donetsk and Luhansk have also demanded

amnesty for militia and political prisoners, along with a special status for their military units and right to appoint judges and prosecutors

.

DPR and LPR speak for preserving common economic, cultural and political space with Ukraine, if their conditions are accepted. They want special

foreign economic status

, considering its deeper integration with Russia and the Customs Union.

Contact Group on Ukraine

A new round of consultations of the so-called Contact Group on Ukraine opened in the Belarusian capital Minsk on Monday to search for ways to settle the crisis in the war-torn south-eastern Ukraine.

The Contact Group is represented by Ukraine's former president Leonid Kuchma, Russia's Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov and representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office on Ukraine Heidi Tagliavini. Taking part in the consultations are vice premier of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Andrei Purgin and the chairman of the Supreme Council of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, Valery Karyakin.