ANKARA 

The leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic in Ukraine said Wednesday that the draft law regarding the eastern regions of the country will sabotage the ongoing peace process.

During a joint press conference in Donetsk, separatist leaders Aleksandar Zaharcenko and Igor Plotnitsky opposed a draft law regarding the separatist-held east which requires elections to be held under Ukrainian law.

The two leaders said the draft law contravenes the previous “special status” granted to the region by the Ukrainian parliament in October 2014 and the Minsk Protocol signed in February. 

According to previous agreements, the Ukrainian government must cooperate with territorial communities for elections, they said.

The separatist leaders also claimed that the Kiev government is trying to eradicate the eastern territories by undermining their economies. They added that compromise is not possible if the newly approved draft-law is not revoked.

Submitted by President Petro Poroshenko as part of the cease-fire agreement reached in the Belarus capital of Minsk in February, the bill establishes the boundaries of separatist-held areas that could be given special status with limited self-rule.

The bill, which was passed by 265 votes in the 450-seat parliament, also defines the separatist-held areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions as temporarily invaded regions, which will be granted special status following regional elections under Ukrainian law.

The parliament also approved Poroshenko's appeal to the UN Security Council to support the deployment of a peacekeeping mission to eastern Ukraine, where the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists has left more than 6,000 people dead since April 2014, according to the UN.