President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky does not consider it advisable to change Minsk as a venue for negotiations on a settlement in Donbass in connection with the situation that has developed after the elections in Belarus. He stated this in an interview with the Ukraine 24 TV channel, published on Saturday, August 22.
“I believe that the format does not depend at all on the site or on the city or place. It only depends on the people who are involved in the Contact Group. It is too early to talk about changing the city, and it seems to me that it is wrong to do it especially now, ”said the Ukrainian leader, adding that he sees no reason to change anything.
At the same time, Zelensky expressed gratitude to those countries that offered their territory for negotiations.
“We are grateful to each country that offers a platform for these important negotiations, but now all negotiations in the Minsk format are being held in video format because of the covid. I am grateful to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, many other countries, including European ones. But now this is not a priority issue, ”the President of Ukraine stressed.
Zelensky also added that compliance with the ceasefire in Donbass is “a serious step forward.”
On August 13, the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the contact group on Donbass, Leonid Kravchuk, said that he allows the transfer of the platform for negotiations on a settlement from Minsk to Sweden due to protests in Belarus, Gazeta.ru writes.
After the presidential elections held on August 9, protests have not subsided in the republic. People took to the streets of the country who did not agree with the voting results. According to the Central Election Commission, Alyaksandr Lukashenka became the winner in the struggle for the post of head of state for the sixth time.
Since 2014, Kiev has been conducting a military operation against the residents of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup and the new government in Kiev. The settlement issues are being discussed in the Minsk format and at the meetings of the Normandy Four.