KIEV/MOSCOW, Oct. 13 - Oleksandr Kikhtenko, the newly-appointed head of Donetsk Regional Administration, says he is prepared for negotiations with representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).

"I will negotiate with them. If these negotiations are constructive, I am prepared for such negotiations. There are too many issues today […] which can hardly be separated into the DPR representatives' and our area of responsibility. These are very different matters, including those concerning education, healthcare, social protection and so on. We can't abandon our people there and forget that we are responsible for their social protection," Kikhtenko said at a press conference in Sviatohirsk, Donetsk region, on Saturday.