Leaders of eastern Ukraine self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk yesterday offered Kiev a political agreement that helps solving the military conflict that began on April. At a meeting in Minsk (Belarus) with Ukrainian, Russian and OSCE delegates, representatives of the two Russian-speaking majority republics -which all UN members still officially regard as two Ukraine's provinces- proposed that Kiev recognize their special status. In exchange, Donetsk and Luhansk would resign claiming new territories from Ukraine, and would accept to preserve a "common security space" with that country.

The proposal also foresees Kiev accepting that both self-styled republics have their own military units. Donetsk and Luhansk also demand capacity to conclude international agreements on economic matters. This would allow them, for example, to join the Russian-led Customs Union.

What both secessionist republics are proposing almost equals to independence, in spite of eventual agreements that their governments could reach with Ukraine. Kiev rejects such a solution and, in fact, not even contemplates a federalised Ukraine, as Moscow has suggested on several occasions.

The Donetsk and Luhansk leaders disclosed those proposals the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin had said Ukraine should start talks on "statehood" of the two self-declared republics. A Kremlin spokesman later denied that Putin was referring to full independence for Luhansk and Donetsk.

Kiev says Russian troops found in eastern Ukraine

Talks between Ukraine, Russia, Donetsk, Luhansk and the OSCE in Minsk -which will resume on Friday 5th- are taking place while at the war front, the Luhansk and Donetsk militians have been accumulating victories last week against the Ukrainian army. Kiev says this is due to the fact that there are Russian troops in Luhansk and Donetsk. NATO also claims that Russian military equipment has been spotted within the Ukrainian borders.

A few days before, Ukraine had announced that it was about to resume their policy to get NATO membership. NATO said it is developing a plan for a rapid reaction force to act in Eastern Europe. Reacting to this, Moscow warned it will review its military strategy to deal with NATO, "one of the external threats to the Russian Federation."