The head of the Russian State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, accused Germany and France of the “failure of the peace plan in Donbas” and demanded compensation from the two states, writes DPA.

• “Germany and France must pay compensation to the residents of Donbas.
• The current situation in Ukraine is the result of the lying policy of the leaders of these states,” Volodin wrote on Telegram on Saturday.

He accused the governments in Berlin and Paris of organizing a “coup d’état” in Ukraine in 2014 under the pretext of a peaceful transfer of power amid protests in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

Volodin also stated that neither Germany nor France is going to respect the peace plans signed by the two countries together with Ukraine and Russia in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.

The Minsk peace plan for the east of Ukraine, which has been under the influence of Russia since the start of hostilities in 2014, included major commitments for the parties to the conflict. But most of the conditions were never implemented. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for this.

Volodin’s comments came after Putin said on Friday that recent statements by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel about Ukraine suggested that the Minsk agreement was only signed to give Ukraine time to arm and prepare for war with Russia .

Volodin repeated this accusation on Saturday.

“Premeditated non-fulfillment of the obligations assumed during the signing of an international agreement means not only a loss of trust, but it is a crime for which the signatories of the Minsk Agreement – Merkel, (former President of France Francois) Hollande and (former President of Ukraine Petro) Poroshenko – they must be held responsible,” he wrote. Volodin also claimed that they are now also to blame for the energy crisis in Europe, DPA adds, Agerpres reports.