The Ukrainian Presidency said on Thursday it would be requesting that the US Department of State appoint a new special representative for Ukraine to help incoming US administration to better understand the Donbas peace process
KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th November, 2020) The Ukrainian Presidency said on Thursday it would be requesting that the US Department of State appoint a new special representative for Ukraine to help incoming US administration to better understand the Donbas peace process.
The former US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker resigned last September after getting dragged into a scandal surrounding the whistleblower complaint that launched impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump over his phone conversation with the Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"I think we will raise this issue [the appointment of a new special representative] with the new US administration, among others. It would be useful and important. This track used to enable the United States to understand what was happening within the Normandy format while not being formally involved in it. We will certainly discuss it," Ihor Zhovkva, the deputy head of the Ukrainian President's Office, told Ukrainian radio broadcaster Novoye Vremya.
The official believes that the US would surely want to "keep up with the developments" within Normandy Four, a high-level platform negotiating peace in eastern Ukraine that involves Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia.
According to Zhovkva, preparations are underway for Zelenskyy's visit to the US on an unspecified date.
On October 20, the Ukrainian president said in the annual address to the parliament that he hoped for the soonest possible meeting of the Normandy Four leaders, which he expects to take place after two meetings among the four political advisers of the format. The second such meeting is scheduled to take place this Friday.
