Contents tagged with Normandy Format

  • Germany and Russia want to bring the United States to the negotiating table over Ukraine

    The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Germany and Russia, Sigmar Gabriel and Sergey Lavrov favored the involvement of the United States in negotiations on settlement of the situation in the Donbas. They stated this after bilateral negotiations in Moscow, UNIAN reported.

    In particular, Gabriel said that the Federal Republic of Germany and Russia are seeking contact with a new U.S Administration but now it is difficult to find interlocutors there until they got everything settled.

    “As for eastern …

  • Poroshenko said German president-elect Steinmeier is 'Ukraine’s great friend'

    The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, called Frank-Walter Steinmeier a "great friend of Ukraine" in a statement honoring his election as President of Germany, as Poroshenko wrote on Twitter.

    "I cordially congratulate Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the great friend of Ukraine, on his election as the Federal President of Germany. I hope for the continuation of a friendly and fruitful cooperation for the sake of the prosperity of a united Europe – democratic and free," Poroshenko wrote.

    The …

  • Lavrov: Normandy format negotiations might be no more than 'a meeting for the sake of meeting'

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov did not rule out Russia’s participation in the meeting of the Normandy Four that will take place on November 29. He noted that this meeting should not be just “a meeting for the sake of meeting.”

    “I don’t think that we will be able to agree on all points by November 29 although we will do everything possible for it. However, there is still a serious risk that this meeting will be held again just for the sake of meeting. Anyway, if my colleagues in the …

  • Hahn: The EU does not want to interfere in the Normandy format, but wants to focus on humanitarian issues in the Donbas

    According to Johannes Hahn, the Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, the EU does not want to interfere in the Normandy format, but it wants a larger role in resolving the humanitarian crisis in the Donbas, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported.

    Hahn noted that interference in the Normandy format may cause “unnecessary turbulence” in resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but the EU would like to focus its efforts on humanitarian issues.

    "We believe that the EU …

  • 'Friends of Ukraine' group wants to include the US in the Normandy format

    The U.S. wants to be seen as a participant in the Normandy Group negotiations regarding the settlement of the situation in the Donbas region along with Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany. The members of the informal group ‘Friends of Ukraine,’ consisting of seven prominent European Union politicians, are appealing for this change, as reported by Politico.

    It is noted that the Declaration was published on behalf of the former NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Secretary …

  • Klimkin: There wont be negotiations until Russia withdraws from eastern Ukraine

    During a meeting with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Germany and France, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Jean-Marc Ayrault, the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pavlo Klimkin, stated that Ukraine needs a guarantee that Russia will implement the Minsk Agreements in order to continue the work in the Normandy format. According to Klimkin, Ukraine wants to see clear and coherent steps from Russia in order for the conflict in the Donbas to be resolved.

    “We fully understand that we need a …

  • Lavrov: Russia would be open to holding 'Normandy Format' talks on sidelines of G20

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Ukraine offered to hold a regular summit of the “Normandy Four” on the sidelines of the G20 summit, which will be held in Hangzhou, China, in early September.

    According to Lavrov, the “Normandy Four” should be responsible for implementing decisions agreed on within the framework of the Normandy format.

    “If our German and French partners, as well as the Chinese hosts, agree with Kiev’s proposal to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 …