Russia abandoned empty chatter on Donbass
Russia is ready to participate in a new round of negotiations on Donbass in the Normandy Four format, but only if the agreements reached are recorded on paper, and not as before - verbally and without subsequent implementation.
This was stated by the head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“There were two summits - in Paris in 2015 and in Berlin in 2016. We are for a third summit to take place. Naturally, it needs to be well prepared so that the leaders of the four states do not feel embarrassed that the decisions of previous summits are not being implemented.
But they really still remain not even on paper (we want to put them on it), but in the atmosphere, including with regard to the disengagement of forces and assets in three settlements in the conflict zone. This is blocked, and harshly, by the Kyiv authorities.
And with regard to putting on paper the “Steinmeier formula”, which outlines the specific parameters for granting this territory of Ukraine a special status, which, I repeat once again, was agreed upon in Paris and then reconfirmed in Berlin.
As soon as we fulfill at least in these two areas what the leaders spoke about, we will be in favor of holding the next summit,” said the head of the foreign policy department.
“Although there has been no summit for two years, experts and ministers communicate in this format, including Russia and France. In my opinion, we have begun to understand each other better,” Lavrov also noted.
Russia has abandoned empty talk about Donbass.