Donbas - small steps towards a possible peace
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that together with the three other leaders of the Normandy Four – President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel – he will consider the possibility of holding in a few weeks of a summit in the Normandy format. The French and Russian presidents are recently holding talks in the Bregancon fortress near the village of Bormes-les-Mimosas, southern France. Ahead of the negotiations, the French leader said that the two will discuss the situation in Ukraine and talk "about the choices that were made by President Zelensky recently regarding his position he took recently." Macron said at the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that there was a "real opportunity" for peace in Ukraine following the election of Zelensky.
Germany confirms readiness to intensify Normandy Four talks – Ambassador Melnyk "I know that Mr Putin had a conversation with him, a number of conversations in the few past days, so we'll be able to discuss all that. We will be able to prepare for the future meeting, and together with Mr Zelensky, Mr Putin, and Ms Merkel we will try to work in the Normandy format in a few weeks," Macron said. Vladimir Putin said certain issues discussed in his phone conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky "inspire cautious optimism."
Russian President Vladimir Putin finds the implementation of the special status of Donbas to be the main condition for the holding of Normandy Format talks, as well as the solution of a number of issues with the representatives of the Ukrainian authority, as Kremlin reports. Putin underlined that any meeting, including Normandy Format, should lead to the final results and it is necessary to seek the implementation of earlier reached agreements between the sides of the negotiations on Donbas conflict settlement. “Current president and then Foreign Ministry of Germany Mr. Steinmeier provided the compromise proposal. We agreed on it, we compromised to provide the implementation of the law on the special status of Donbas on the temporary ground on the voting day and on the permanent ground for the stocktaking and approval of the results by proper OSCE organizations. It should be done finally, it should be processed,” Putin noted. Moreover, he thinks that there is a number of other issues, which should be agreed with the Ukrainian authority. Putin underlined the amnesty (for the so-called militants of occupied Donbas) as such issue. The Kremlin does not mind holding a Normandy format meeting to resolve the situation in Donbas, but such a meeting requires careful preparation, which will guarantee a political result. This was announced by Yuriy Ushakov, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation. "We basically support this idea, but we believe that if a summit is held, then it should be carefully prepared so that it is clear: by going to this summit, we will achieve politically important results. We would not want a meeting without its thorough preparation," Ushakov said.
The U.S. supports the efforts of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on the achievement of peace in Donbas and agrees to participate in it. However, any new format of the conflict’s solution needs the agreement of all sides as Voice of Americareported citing U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary George Kent. “We strongly support the efforts of President Zelensky on implementation of the steps towards peace. The actions of the Ukrainian military in Stanytsia Luhanska, the desire to restore the bridge necessary to meet the humanitarian needs show the intention of the new Ukrainian authority to assume steps in the right direction,” the official noted. He also stated that any new format on the settlement of Donbas Conflict must be agreed by all parties. “Ukraine has all rights to look for the partners for the solution of one of the largest conflicts of modern Europe. Considering Normandy Format one of four countries, the U.S. expressed the desire to participate in the solution of the conflict in Donbas. Now, these efforts are headed by Special Envoy Kurt Volker. The agreement of all parties is needed for the creation of any new format,” Kent said. He underlined that the commitment of the U.S. to the preservation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine is unwavering. The U.S. considers Donbas and Crimea to be part of Ukraine and it will assume efforts to help Ukraine return its territories.
Volker was commenting on a proposal by Ukraine's new President Volodymyr Zelensky that the Normandy Four group, which now comprises Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany, be expanded to include the U.S. and the United Kingdom. The United States supports the current format of negotiations on the situation in Eastern Ukraine, but would be ready to join the talks if needed, Kurt Volker, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine, said recently in Vilnius. "We have a very good cooperation with all of them. If there is a need for a larger format, of course, we will join. At the same time, we fully support the Normandy format," Volker told. "As I always said, the issue of these meetings has not been a format, the issue has been Russia's political will to implement its obligations under the Minsk agreements," the U.S. envoy said.
The issue of expanding the Normandy format is not currently considered by France. This is stated by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Modification of the Normandy format is out of the agenda," the report said. At the same time, it is noted that France and Germany maintain regular dialogue and close consultations with U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker. France is fully committed to resolving the conflict in Donbas and implementing the Minsk Agreements, especially in the context of the Normandy format in which it actively participates.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky asked Belarus to provide “some support”. Lukashenko invited the President of Ukraine to visit Minsk at any time and in any format. Volodymyr Zelensky accepted the invitation. Zelensky also confirmed the invitation to Lukashenko asking to visit Ukraine within the Second Forum of Belarussian and Ukrainian Regions which will take place in Zhytomyr in October 2019. Alexander Lukashenko accepted the invitation emphasizing that as the initiator and co-author of this event he sees its high effectiveness and advantage for the economics of both countries.
