Ukraine extends special status for Donbass after ‘Normandy Four’ summit

Ukraine’s parliament voted on Thursday to extend regulations giving limited self-rule to eastern regions, a prerequisite for a deal to settle the five-year conflict there.

Lawmakers gave a one-year extension to the regions’ “special status,” which was adopted in 2014 and has been extended several times, Reuters reports.

The status allows the regions to set up their own police forces, prosecutors and courts, and hold local elections.

The parliament's move has become one of the elements of an agreement by leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany, reached during the ‘Normandy Four’ meeting in Paris this week.