Foreign Ministers of Germany, France, Russia Discuss Situation in Donbas

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian held telephone talks with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, discussing a solution to the situation in Donbas.

As the press service of the German Foreign Ministry informs, Maas and Le Drian called on Russia to comply with “transparency requirements” based on the Vienna Convention, discussing the recent movement of Russian troops and military exercises near the border with Ukraine and the occupied Crimea.

The ministers discussed the implementation of the Minsk agreements and the results of the 2019 Paris Summit, noting that “Russia was also urged to make a positive contribution to the settlement of the conflict.”

“The forthcoming first anniversary of the agreement on additional measures to stabilise the ceasefire on 22 July may be a goal to confirm compliance with the ceasefire,” Maas and Le Drian said.

Paris added that they expressed deep concern over the deteriorating security situation along the line of contact in eastern Ukraine and reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.

As a reminder, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky declared recently that Germany and France were afraid to recognise Russia as the party of the conflict in Donbas.

Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of France Emmanuel Macron stated that the Normandy format should continue to work, despite the fact that it is very difficult to make progress within its framework.

Bohdan Marusyak