German Foreign Minister is tearing even the fig leaf of the "special status" from the sovereign clutch of the neo-Bandera regime to which Putin pledged the rest of Donbass both in Minsk 1 and Minsk2

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, evidently the head of Normandy 4, has sent a message to the leadership of the DPR and the LPR (and hence also to Moscow) that they need to forget about entertaining any illusions about receiving any (face saving) "special status" under Kiev's rule. The granting of the special status is now off the agenda. Moscow needs to further demilitarize the DPR and the LPR.

This also accords with the announced and then denied Minsk 3 and it also gives the response to Putin's attempts to make Kiev go along with the charade of the "constitutional amendments" or "federalization." Neither the West nor Kiev have any reason to soften their demands and conditions except for significantly easing up on their previous demonization of Putin. The increased pressure also corresponds to the downward pressure on the prices of oil and gas, which the US and Saudi Arabia have been working on for years to accomplish. But Russian oligarchic thieves are no Nobel Prize winners in economics.

Глава МИД Германии Франк-Вальтер Штайнмайер заявил, что властям Донецкой и Луганской народных республик не стоит питать иллюзий относительно получения Донбассом особого статуса. Об этом он рассказал сегодня в ходе брифинга, сообщает ХАН.
По словам Штайнмайера, речи о предоставлении региону особого статуса нет, поскольку не решены «более насущные проблемы» и обратился к РФ с требованием «повлиять» на вооруженные силы Донецкой и Луганской народных республик, чтобы те отвели вооружения от линии разграничения.

From other news:

At his press conference today, Poroshenko confirmed what Putin advertised in his New Year Eve's quick self-delegitimizing question to the people of Crimea when Putin ordered a quick poll to ask them whether they would mind if Moscow recognizes Crimea as part of Ukraine in an energy deal with Ukraine over Ukraine. Poroshenko said today that this is, indeed, Kiev's demand for such an agreement which would lift the power blockade of Crimea which does exist, but the existence of which both Kiev and Moscow officially deny for political, legal and PR reasons. Moreover, the fact that Poroshenko publicly reaffirmed Kiev's demand that Moscow recognize Crimea as part of Ukraine in the said agreement only indicates that Putin is still mulling his response to Kiev's demand even after he polled the Crimeans on that very question, for which he traded a good part of his own vanishing legitimacy. Over 90% of the polled Crimeans responsed negatively to Putin's/Kiev's question.

Порошенко рассказал об энергетической блокаде Крыма
Президент заявил о том, что никакой блокады Крыма не существует, зато он отметил, что есть формат хозяйственных договоров. Также Порошенко сообщил, что энергоснабжение на территорию Крыма возобновится в том случае, если над ним будет возвращен суверенитет Украины.
"Мы немедленно подпишем договор и восстановим энергоснабжение на территорию Крыма. Условие одно: в договоре должно быть указано: Крым, Украина!", - заявил он.