Poroshenko rules out Donbas elections without proper security, OSCE access to border with Russia

"Can elections be held in Donbas as envisioned by the Minsk agreements? Under the Ukrainian laws, [they] will be held when we make sure [they can], it will be a mechanism of restoring the Ukrainian sovereignty in the breakaway parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions," Poroshenko told a press conference in Kyiv on Friday. According to the logic of the Minsk agreements, first the parties should implement "the security component, and only then will the political one come into force," he said. The security component is not simply about stopping to shoot, that is not enough, Poroshenko said. "Permanently operating monitoring stations must be set up on the conflict line to guarantee compliance with the security conditions. Also, there have to be relevant posts of international forces stationed... where weapons are stored, and there have to be posts on the uncontrolled part of the Ukrainian-Russian border," the president said. "Are elections possible in the occupied Donbas territories? Yes, they are. Are they possible now? They are, provided the invader himself holds these elections, in which case neither Ukraine, nor Europe would recognize such elections," Poroshenko said.