Donetsk and Luhansk quit Minsk peace talks

Donetsk and Luhansk representatives Denis Pushilin and Vladislav Deynego have decided to quit the negotiating process in Minsk. Ukrainian ex-President Leonid Kuchma, representing Kiev in the trilateral contact group on Ukraine, said that Pushilin and Deynego were not even authorized for the process, RIA Novosti reports.

According to Kuchma, separatist leaders Zakharchenko and Plotnitsky were the ones with the authority to sign documents. Pushilin and Deynego said that they had the right to continue the offensive operation if the negotiations fail or shelling continues. 

Kuchma had postponed the meeting in Minsk set for today due to preparations and consultations on the positions of both sides of the conflict.