Advisors to Normandy Four leaders wrap up talks in Berlin – media

Ukraine was represented by the chief of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, while Russia – by deputy presidential administration head Dmitry Kozak.

The latest round of talks of political advisors to the Normandy Four leaders has completed in Berlin.

The Ukrainian side focused on security issues, including on strengthening this component of the agreements, according to the press service of the President's Office.

"During consultations, which lasted more than six hours, the advisers to the Normandy Four leaders discussed the status of implementation of the agreements reached by the leaders of Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia during the Paris summit in December 2019," the statement said.

In particular, the parties touched upon all the issues on the agenda – from security to humanitarian ones. It is noted that the discussion was not an easy one, albeit constructive.

As a result, all parties noted the importance of observing the ceasefire in Donbas.

Ukraine at the meeting of political advisers was represented by Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak.

It was also attended by the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in the Trilateral Contact Group on the Settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict in Donbas, Heidi Grau.

"Yermak thanked the German side for organizing the meeting, and also expressed gratitude to partners from Germany and France for supporting Ukraine on the way to establishing peace in Donbas," the statement said.

A break in negotiations was announced until Friday, January 22.

As per RIA Novosti, Russia's delegate, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Dmitry Kozak, said "there is nothing to boast about."

"We exchanged views on all aspects of settlement," Kozak stated.

"The meeting of the political advisors of the Normandy Four leaders was useful; no final decisions have been found yet, but we agreed to meet in two weeks," he added

Background

The Normandy Format talks involve the representatives of four countries, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, and France, who met non-formally during the 2014 D-Day celebration in Normandy, and who aim to settle the war in Donbas. It has been also known as the Normandy contact group, according to Wikipedia.

The previous meeting of advisors was held on September 11, 2020.

13 January 2021 / 10:49