Ukraine meets Russian demand by withdrawal of Donbas bill

The Cabinet of Ministers withdrew the draft bill,
“On the Principles of State Policy in Transition” at an extraordinary
Cabinet meeting on Jan. 24. The withdrawal was the only item on the meeting’s
agenda, eurointegration.com.ua reported on the same day. The withdrawal had
been a pre-condition of the Russian Federation for the Normandy Four meetings
regarding Donbas to resume. The bill was the government’s attempt at creating a
format for the reintegration of the areas currently outside of Ukrainian
control.

Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak
noted that the government was only executing the will of the people, and that
will was to do everything to avoid escalating the tension with Russia.
Furthermore, the Venice Commission had already ruled that the bill needed to be
withdrawn and reworked. Eurointegration.com.ua noted that the Venice
Commission’s ruling on the bill occurred in October, 2021.

James Hydzik: While it’s difficult to believe that the withdrawal was anything other
than a Kremlin-directed move, Russian complaints about the bill when the Venice
Commission was examining it point to the possibility that the government had
found an irritant and finally removed it at the right time. The move could
formally bring the Normandy Format back to life, but in the current
environment, it’s unlikely to help much.