Members of the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine – Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Oct. 1 agreed to a peace process known as the “Steinmeier Formula,” green-lighting local elections in the Russian-controlled regions of Donbas.

Eurasia Diary reports citing to Kyiv Post that the agreement envisages that the occupied areas of eastern Ukraine get a special self-governing status after they hold local elections. The elections have to take place in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation and be approved by the OSCE.

A key condition for the elections to take place is for the Russian forces and Russian-backed militants to leave the territory and for Ukraine to regain control over the eastern border with Russia, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“There will be no elections ‘at the gunpoint’,” Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv on Oct. 1. “If someone (militants) will be there, there will be no elections.”

The elections in the occupied zone will be monitored by the OSCE and conducted by the Ukrainian Central Election Commission. Ukrainian observers, independent press and political organizations must be permitted to take part in the electoral process.

If the OSCE concludes that the election was fair, the region will receive self-governance instantly.

Zelensky didn’t specify what kind of self-governance the regions will obtain.

According to Zelensky, the Group also reached an agreement to launch the mutual withdrawal of manpower and weapons at the front-line sector of Zolote and Petrivske in the Luhansk Oblast. The pullout is expected to follow up the previous withdrawal of opposing forces at the Stanytsia Luhanska entry point close to occupied Luhansk, which was confirmed by the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on June 30.