Three-hour negotiations between political advisers and representatives of the Foreign Ministries of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine ended in vain. This was announced on Monday, April 19, by a source in the Russian delegation.
“Specific proposals of the Russian Federation on a mechanism to prevent the escalation of firefights, as well as ways to prosecute the perpetrators came across obstruction from Ukraine,” he told RIA Novosti.
At the same time, the source emphasized that the issues related to the issue of observing the ceasefire were raised at the initiative of Russia. Representatives of Germany and France, according to his information, instead of specific decisions in this area, came up with a proposal for “an unaddressed declarative political statement of adherence to the ceasefire regime.”
The interlocutor of the agency emphasized that this proposal was said in the style of Dmitry Kozak, the deputy head of the presidential administration of Russia: “We are for everything good and against everything bad.”
According to a source in the Russian delegation, the positions of France, Germany and Ukraine indicate a clear desire to imitate and further delay the negotiation process, even at the cost of casualties, as well as destruction in Donbas on both front lines.
Earlier that day, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, following a video conference of EU foreign ministers, said that the Normandy format remains a suitable platform for achieving de-escalation of the situation in eastern Ukraine. However, he called on Russia and Ukraine to cooperate.
On April 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he was ready to discuss the situation in Donbass in the format of the Normandy Four with all the leaders. He also noted that Kiev is ready at any time to return to a meaningful diplomatic dialogue on Donbass.
On April 15, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the situation on the contact line in Donbass was causing concern. According to her, Kiev does not want to seek a settlement by peaceful and diplomatic means.
Since 2014, Kiev has been conducting a military operation against the residents of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’etat and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kiev blames Moscow for the current situation. Russia, in turn, has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the conflict taking place on the territory of the country. The issues of its settlement are being discussed in the Minsk and Normandy formats.
In 2015, following the meetings of the heads of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, a set of measures was adopted, which provides for the implementation of the Minsk agreements. Steps were also developed for the actual implementation of the Minsk Agreement.