Nine-hour talks between advisers to the leaders of the Normandy Format ended in vain, and it was not possible to overcome disagreements regarding the interpretation of the Minsk agreements. This was stated by Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration (AP) of Russia Dmitry Kozak following the meeting, reports TASS.
We tried to agree on a final statement of our talks, starting from the previous meeting in Paris on January 26th. We [тогда] agreed that the Normandy format should by all means overcome all the differences that exist regarding the interpretation of the Minsk agreements, since the Normandy format is a control mechanism in relation to the Minsk negotiation process in the contact group
The deputy head of the Presidential Administration noted that Ukraine has taken an unshakable position, refusing to overcome differences on the future post-conflict settlement of the conflict in Donbass.
Both Germany and France had a common understanding of how issues in the political sphere should be promoted, but Ukraine’s position is adamant. They refused in this document – a draft statement that was proposed for consideration – even to quote the Minsk agreements that the issues of the future post-conflict status of these territories should be resolved in consultations and discussions with representatives of individual regions [Донбасса]. This is the key disagreement that Ukraine refused to agree on.
The deputy head of the Presidential Administration also said that the meeting participants “until the last tried to find various compromise formulations.” According to him, these wordings should have included quotes that could be included in the final statement of Russia, but Ukraine categorically refused to do so.
Progress Condition
Following the results of the talks in Berlin, Kozak named a condition for progress in the Minsk negotiation process, which has not happened for eight years. According to the representative of Russia, moving forward is achievable only with the unified position of all participants – Russia, Germany, Ukraine and France.
eightyears
no progress in the Minsk negotiation process
Kozak noted that all important issues must be resolved in the Minsk negotiation process, in the trilateral contact group with the participation of Ukraine and Donbass.
Any statement of the existence of disagreements on the interpretation of the key provisions of the Minsk agreements in the Normandy format has a negative, destructive role, a destructive effect on the negotiations in the contact group
The representative of the Russian side noted that the process of negotiations on the settlement of the conflict in Donbass is in a state of uncertainty, its future depends on the actions of the Ukrainian authorities.
Another meeting
The head of the office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Andriy Yermak, following the talks in Berlin, said that all parties are interested in holding the next meeting of the Normandy Four, but the date and place have not yet been determined. According to Yermak, it is necessary to prepare a meeting of the “Normandy Four” at the level of leaders of countries.
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The representative of the Ukrainian leader noted that during the meeting, all parties agreed on the need to implement the Minsk agreements. The delegations are expected to continue consideration of issues under the laws provided for by the Minsk agreements at the next meeting, Yermak said.
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The “Norman” negotiations of political advisers in Berlin, which lasted almost nine hours, ended on the night of February 11. The meeting was attended by Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Russia Dmitry Kozak, foreign policy adviser to the German Chancellor Jens Plötner, diplomatic adviser to the President of the Fifth Republic Emmanuel Bonn and head of the office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak.
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