Jan 27,2022:In talks that lasted more than eight hours, political advisors from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, who on Wednesday (26 January) met for talks in Paris, reaffirmed their commitment to uphold a ceasefire agreed in the so-called Minsk accords.
Four-way talks in the Normandy format, which brings together Ukrainian, Russian, German, and French officials to help end the conflict between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, have stalled since November.
Earlier in January, senior French and German diplomats traveled to Moscow to see how the format could be revived, and held separate three-way talks with each of the sides.
Wednesday’s meeting was the first time all four parties meet since 2019, and was set to focus on humanitarian efforts and the possibility of formal talks on the status of the Donbas region.
The envoys “support unconditional respect for the ceasefire and full adherence to the ceasefire strengthening measures of 22 July 2020, regardless of differences on other issues relating to the implementation of the Minsk agreements,” the statement said.
Brokered by France and Germany, the Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015 aimed to resolve conflict in the east following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. The September 2014 Minsk agreement is basically a ceasefire.
The February 2015 Minsk protocol foresees the withdrawal of all foreign armed formations, military equipment, as well as mercenaries from the territory of Ukraine under the supervision of the OSCE and disarmament of all illegal groups. In parallel, it envisages carrying out constitutional reform in Ukraine that provide for decentralisation as a key element and local elections in Donetsk and Luhansk regions in compliance with relevant OSCE standards and monitored by the OSCE/ODIHR.
However, the accord, which is unclear about sequencing, faces the difficulty of reconciling Ukraine’s demand for full sovereignty over its territory with Russia’s insistence that the Russian-speaking people of eastern Ukraine receive autonomy.
A major blockage has been Moscow’s insistence that it is not a party to the conflict and therefore is not bound by its terms
Kyiv and its supporters have called it to be one-sided as it deals with the Ukrainian government and separatists in the east, but not Russia itself.
Provisions include a ceasefire, the withdrawal of heavy weaponry and exchanges of prisoners and hostages.
Both Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly traded accusations of violating the Minsk Protocol.
Although major combat came to an end after the accord, ceasefire violations and minor clashes continue, and Eastern Ukrainian officials say they are unlikely to cease among the current tensions.
The talks in Paris have shown that the Normandy format talks on finding a peace settlement for eastern Ukraine had been revived, Andriy Yermak, advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said on Wednesday.
Yermak confirmed after the talks that all parties had indicated a willingness to work towards resolving existing disagreements.
