Results of the 8-hour talks in Paris under the Normandy Format
Head of the Office of President Andriy Yermak spoke about the results of the 8-hour meeting of political advisers of the Normandy Format. They held the talks in Paris with the participation of representatives of all participating countries.
The head of the Security Service spoke about the details of the talks at a special briefing at the Ukrainian Embassy in France.
He said the meeting was difficult and was an “audit of the Minsk agreements.” The parties agreed a ceasefire must take place.
“The parties declared that there are differences of opinion on the solution to the problem and are ready to work on them ... The parties also supported the thesis that work in subgroups of TCG should continue. Today’s communiqué is the first document that has been agreed since December 2019", - Yermak said.
The head of the Presidential Office emphasized the defence of Ukrainian interests during the meeting of the Normandy Four and the principled position of the President of Ukraine to stop provocations by the Russian Federation.
The advisers said they support the unconditional observance of the ceasefire agreed on July 22, 2020, despite disagreements on other issues of the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
Andriy Yermak noted that Ukraine is ready to continue work on de-escalation.
“The work continues - Ukraine, as always, is ready for negotiations, for meetings 24/7, because for us, for President Zelensky, for the entire team, the goal is to end the war and return our territories. And today, it is a de-escalation of tensions around Ukraine’s borders", - he concluded.
The head of the OP also expressed hope that a constructive discussion would take place at the two-week meeting in Berlin, which would yield results.
Russia was represented by Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak, Germany by Adviser to Chancellor Jens Plotner, and France by Emmanuel Bonne.
The representative of the Russian Federation called these negotiations “tough, but straightforward” and noted “the need to uphold the ceasefire in Donbas”.
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