President of France Supports Idea of Holding Normandy Format Meeting As Soon As Possible

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of France Emmanuel Macron held a telephone conversation, during which the latter agreed that the talks between the Normandy format leaders should be held as soon as possible.

As the Office of the President of Ukraine informs, the presidents focused on the progress of implementation of the Paris Summit agreements during the phone conversation.

Zelensky said that the longest ever ceasefire regime in Donbas had been lasting since July 27, while many of the agreements reached by the Normandy format leaders remained unfulfilled. In particular, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the OSCE still do not have access to the temporarily occupied territory.

“The ceasefire is generally observed, although illegal armed formations continue to commit provocative violations. An important result is the absence of civilian casualties in armed hostilities. At the same time, two Ukrainian servicemen were killed and two more soldiers were wounded due to the deliberate escalation,” the President of Ukraine said.

Ukraine strictly fulfills the Paris Summit agreements and is ready to open two entry-exit checkpoints on the contact line in the coming days, Zelensky noted.

The President of France praised Zelensky’s peace initiatives and Ukraine’s efforts to carry out mine clearance and disengagement of troops in Donbas.

Macron assured that Ukraine could rely on his determination to help end the war. He also reaffirmed his readiness to visit Kyiv as soon as circumstances allow.

Bohdan Marusyak