Kiev Says Macron Believes Ukraine Met All Requirements For Holding Normandy Four Talks

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th November, 2019) The press service of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that French President Emmanuel Macron believed Kiev had met all requirements for holding the next summit on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region in the so-called Normandy Four format.

On Friday, Bloomberg reported, citing Macron's office, that the long-awaited Normandy-Four summit, bringing together France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, will be held in Paris on December 9. The German government told Sputnik later in the day that the country's chancellor, Angela Merkel, would attend the meeting. Zelenskyy's office said the Ukrainian president held a phone call with Macron, after which it confirmed Zelenskyy would participate in the meeting, too.

"The French President stressed that Ukraine had fulfilled all necessary conditions for the Normandy format summit to take place. As a result, all parties agreed on the date of its holding - December 9 in Paris. The leaders of Ukraine and France coordinated the preparation of the substantive content of the summit," the statement published on Zelenskyy's website on Friday read.

During the phone call, the Ukrainian president also informed his French counterpart about the security situation in Donbas, while Macron said Kiev could count on Paris' support.

The sides also address economic cooperation and agreed to continue dialogue.

The Normandy format was established in 2014 in a bid to find a solution to the conflict in Donbas. However, the sides have not sat at the negotiating table since 2016. Still, attempts to organize the next meeting have recently re-energized.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that if the law on the special status of Donbas, which is set to expire on December 31, was not extended by Kiev, there would be nothing to discuss during the Normandy Four format meeting.