The next meeting on the Ukrainian settlement in the Normandy format is expected to bring progress to the issue, Ralf Stegner, a co-chair of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) of Germany and leader of the SPD party in German's Schleswig-Holstein state, told Sputnik on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2019) The next meeting on the Ukrainian settlement in the Normandy format is expected to bring progress to the issue, Ralf Stegner, a co-chair of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) of Germany and leader of the SPD party in German's Schleswig-Holstein state, told Sputnik on Thursday.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on October 10 that the date of the Normandy Four summit would be agreed within days, adding that he expected it to be this year, possibly in November. The format includes France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine and aims to resolve a conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has been ongoing since 2014 and prompted the European Union to impose sanctions on Russia.
"I hope that we get some progress and I think the Minsk accords and Steinmeier formula are ways to support this process. We should intensify our efforts. And I understand that France and Germany are willing to do that," Stegner said.
There is some optimism about Zelenskyy's approach to the issue, which differs from the lack of determination of his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, the politician noted.
When asked about the possibility of adding the United States to the process, Stegner said he was not sure whether it would really help.
He also noted that talks related to the Ukrainian crisis and EU sanctions against Russia are mostly focused on economic cooperation rather than on sanctions.
On Monday, French Ambassador to Russia Sylvie Bermann said Paris wanted to hold a meeting of Normandy Four leaders on eastern Ukraine as soon as possible either at the end of this month or in November.
