- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

France, Germany Urge Resumption of Normandy Four Talks After Ukrainian Election

© Sputnik / Michael Klimentyev / Go to the mediabankRussian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, background 2nd right, and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, foreground right, during the Normandy format meeting between the leaders of Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France on settling the Ukrainian conflict, at the Paul Loebe Haus parliamentary building in Berlin. (File)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, background 2nd right, and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, foreground right, during the Normandy format meeting between the leaders of Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France on settling the Ukrainian conflict, at the Paul Loebe Haus parliamentary building in Berlin. (File) - Sputnik International
Subscribe
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Paris and Berlin call on the Normandy format countries to intensify peace negotiations after presidential election in Ukraine, the French Foreign Ministry said Monday.

"France and Germany, which are mediators in the Normandy format, call on the parties to re-engage in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements and to intensify negotiations after the presidential election in Ukraine, in coordination with the elected authorities", a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said at a news briefing. The spokesman stressed that "the full implementation of the Minsk agreements remains the only way to resolve the [Ukrainian] crisis".

READ MORE: Amnesty Probes Human Rights Abuses in Ukraine's Clandestine Prisons in Donbass

"We expect the parties to reaffirm their further political will to restore peace", the official said.

Presidential election in Ukraine 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskiy - Sputnik International
DPR Official Doubts Minsk Talks Will Progress If Zelenskiy is Ukraine President
The armed conflict in the east of Ukraine sparked in 2014, after the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics refused to recognize the new government, saying that it had come to power through a coup.

In 2015, the warring parties signed a ceasefire deal in Minsk, following talks, brokered by the leaders of the Normandy group. Despite this agreement, sporadic fighting has continued in Donbass. To date, the situation remains tense, with both sides accusing each other of violating the ceasefire.

READ MORE: EU to Sanction Nine Individuals in Connection With Donbass Elections — Source

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko reiterated last week that the negotiations on the Donbass crisis settlement in the so-called Normandy Four format, which comprises France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, will resume shortly after the Ukrainian presidential election.

In February Russian President Vladimir Putin and  French Emmanuel Macron, while having a phone talk, spoke about the willingness to work together within the so-called Normandy format on the Ukrainian settlement, according to the Kremlin. 

Earlier Russian Ambassador to Berlin Sergey Nechaev said that it was useless to talk about a new Normandy Four meeting as long as implementation of previous agreements on Donbas settlement is stalled by Kiev

"Under the circumstances of Kiev failing to make real progress [on implementing previous agreements], it is hardly sensible to talks about new Normandy Four meetings," the diplomat said.  

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала