"People of Donbas and Crimea are not separate people from Ukrainian people," - Barrot
In 1991, the Ukrainian people expressed their support for independence and unity very clearly, and the inhabitants of the Donbas and Crimea do not constitute a separate group from the Ukrainian people.
This was stated by the French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot at a press conference in Paris following the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, according to Censor.NET, which cites Ukrinform.
Details
This was his response to remarks made by presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon regarding the separate status of "residents of the Donbas" in the event of territorial concessions in the peace talks on the war in Ukraine.
"It is roughly the same as if we in France were told that the inhabitants of the Hauts-de-France and Grand Est regions are peoples distinct from the French people, and that they must therefore have their say whenever territorial issues arise. And that France allegedly does not respect their right to self-determination, so a foreign state could come and, so to speak, liberate them from the French yoke," said Barrot, using the example of certain regions of France.
He emphasised that this is precisely the argument that the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin uses to justify his "illegal colonial war of aggression" against Ukraine. The inhabitants of the Donbas and Crimea are portrayed as a distinct people whose right to self-determination is allegedly being suppressed by Ukraine.
"This line of reasoning is clearly flawed on every level. Firstly, the inhabitants of Donbas and Crimea do not constitute a separate entity from the Ukrainian people. In 1991, 35 years ago, the Ukrainian people spoke out very clearly in favour of their independence and unity," said the French Foreign Minister.
Furthermore, he added, there is no evidence to suggest that the Ukrainian authorities are depriving the inhabitants of these regions of their right to be full citizens of Ukraine.
What led up to it
It should be recalled that, the day before, the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, stated that the leader of the far-left party ‘Unbowed France’, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, was in effect echoing the Kremlin’s arguments regarding the war against Ukraine. This was prompted by the presidential candidate’s remarks on the need to hold a referendum amongst the population of the Donbas in the event of any territorial concessions.
