MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th August, 2019) All parties of the Normandy Four format talks on Ukrainian settlement support the idea of convening a new summit but its potential expediency should be assessed beforehand, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
The Normandy format talks were established to mediate the conflict in Eastern Ukraine in 2014. They include Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for an urgent Normandy Four meeting in the light of escalating tensions in Donbas.
"The conversation of resuming the Normandy format at the top level is actively ongoing. This idea is supported by all parties: Berlin, Paris, president Zelenskyy and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," Peskov said during a television appearance on Russia's Channel One.
He added that before the decision could be made, experts have to assess the expediency of such a summit in terms of its potential results.
Last week, Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron held lengthy talks in France during which they discussed the possibility of convening a new Normandy summit. The Russian leader stressed that no alternatives to this format currently exist and that the sides should strive to achieve the reached agreements.
Earlier in July, Zelenskyy voiced a proposal to hold Normandy talks with the added participation of the United States and the United Kingdom.
In April 2014, the Ukrainian government launched an offensive in its eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, known together as Donbas, after they proclaimed independence following what they considered to be a coup in Kiev two months earlier. Ukraine has accused Russia of interfering in its domestic affairs and being involved in Donbas conflict, claims Russia has denied.
Since September 2014, peace in Donbas has been mediated through a number of mechanisms, including Normandy Four talks. Though three documents on de-escalation measures have been adopted over this time, the warring parties continue to violate the ceasefire.
