Merkel held a telephone conversation with Zelensky

Photo: EPA

German Chancellor Angela Merkel supported the initiative of Ukraine about the change of the work of the trilateral contact group, in which negotiations on the settlement of the conflict in the Donbass. About this June 5, after a telephone conversation of heads of the States reported the press service of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

“The Ukrainian President informed the Chancellor about the current security situation in the Donbass, noting problems that require particular attention from the international partners” – said in the message.

Also, the officials “noted the high level of mutual understanding of Ukrainian and German parties on the key approaches to a peaceful settlement, underlining there is no alternative diplomatic path.”

Speaking about the recent visit of the Ukrainian delegation to Berlin, Zelensky expressed hope that these talks “will give a boost channel format”.

Zelensky and Merkel “made a special emphasis on the need for consistent and steady performance of the parties involved of all the agreements reached during the Paris summit of leaders “Channel four”, said the press service.

In 2014, immediately after the annexation of Crimea, in Eastern Ukraine, Russia has begun armed aggression. Fighting underway between Ukraine’s Armed forces on the one hand, and the Russian army and Russian-backed militants, who control part of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, on the other. Officially, Russia does not recognize its invasion of Ukraine, despite Ukraine presented the facts and evidence.

The negotiations on the settlement of the Donbas conflict underway in the trilateral contact group in Minsk (Ukraine, Russia, OSCE), as well as in the Normandy format with participation of representatives of Ukraine, France, Germany and Russia. In early may of this year, Zelensky has signed a decree that approved the new composition of the Ukrainian delegation to participate in the trilateral contact group – it included members of Cabinet and MPs.

9 Dec 2019, in Paris the first three years of the summit of leaders “Channel four”. In the final communiqué stated that the parties agreed to a ceasefire, the opening of new border crossing points, the exchange of detainees by the formula “all for all” before 31 December 2019, the dilution of forces and resources at three new sites in the Donbass, to extend for a year the law “On special order of local government in certain districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions” and the extension of the mandate of the special monitoring mission of the OSCE. Agreements were partially implemented, in particular twice had an exchange of detained persons.

In January 2020, it became known that the parties agreed on a new meeting in four months, but its exact date has not been determined.