Zelensky: Ukraine is ready for the necessary decisions on Donbass News – current news about world events DW
Volodymyr Zelensky stressed Ukraine’s readiness to negotiate a substantive conflict in Donbas during the new Normandy format (Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France). He said this during a meeting with advisers to the leaders of Germany and France Jens Pltner (Jens Pltner) and Emmanuel Bonn, the press reported on Tuesday, January 11. Office of the President of Ukraine(OPU).
The diplomats visited Kyiv in accordance with previous agreements reached during a video conference on January 4 this year. Their arrival was preceded by talks in Moscow with Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak, who is in the Kremlin negotiating the situation in Donbas.
Zelensky welcomed the needs that Ukraine’s partners in the Normandy format continue to implement for the practical implementation of the leaders of the agreements reached during the “Norman Four” in December 2019 in Paris. “It is time to agree on the conflict, and I am ready for the necessary decisions under the new leaders of the four countries,” he said.
Exchange of views
The interlocutors exchanged views on the current situation in Donbass and continued discussions on further steps towards peaceful settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, as well as de-escalation of the situation on Ukraine’s borders, the OPU said.
In turn, the head of the OPU Andriy Yermak said that the Ukrainian side of the confirmation remains committed to the political and diplomatic path of settlement. “Ukraine, France and Germany report active efforts to resume effective work in the” Norman format “at various levels. We expect the Russian side to support these decisions,” he said, emphasizing the need to maintain full influence in the regime, the next stage of release. and the opening of the CPVR in Donbas.
Defrosting the “Norman format”?
On January 7, French President Emmanuel Macron initiated a new “Norman-style” meeting with Germany in the coming weeks.
Prior to that, Russia refused to meet with foreign ministers in the “Norman format”, which France proposed to hold in the autumn of 2021 in Paris. Subsequently, Russian diplomats made public correspondence between the Russian, German and French foreign ministers. This was explained by the fact that Russia’s position and approaches to holding a ministerial meeting in the “Norman format” seem to be distorted.
The last countries of the “Quartet of Normandy” held a meeting in the format of video conferences at the level of the heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in November 2020. Prior to that, the leaders met in Paris in December 2019 after a three-year break.