“We are ready to talk 24/7” – Ermak at a meeting with Kozak begged Russia not to attack
On Thursday evening, advisors to the leaders of the Normandy format countries held talks on Donbass in Paris. The event took place in an alarming situation, with about one hundred thousand Russian soldiers stationed around the Ukrainian borders.
The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Ermak, stated this at a briefing following the meeting, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
He said that during the meeting a communique was prepared on support for the ceasefire.
“The parties openly declared that there are many disagreements between Ukraine and the Russian Federation regarding both the implementation and interpretation of the Minsk agreements, but there is a desire to work on these differences. The next meeting will take place soon, I think in two weeks in Berlin. We agreed to continue this dialogue.
You understand that support and a unified attitude towards a permanent ceasefire, especially in the tense situation around the borders of Ukraine, is very important. The parties also supported that the work of the Minsk TCG should continue.
The work continues, and I can say that, as always, Ukraine is ready for negotiations, for meetings 24/7, because for our entire team, for President Zelensky, the goal is to stop the war, return our territories, and today this is to relieve the tension that exists , de-escalation around the Ukrainian borders is a priority,” said Ermak.
However, journalists continued to ask clarifying questions about the situation with the “Russian invasion.”
“Of course, we raised this issue, and at the very beginning of the meeting I said that today we are meeting at such an alarming time, when there are about one hundred thousand Russian soldiers around the Ukrainian borders, and this is a threat. I talked about this several times, but understand, our discussion was still around the war that is happening in Donbass, around the Minsk agreements - everything that is considered in the Normandy format.
But I said that we are waiting for de-escalation not only regarding the occupied territories, but also about de-escalation around the Ukrainian borders in general. However, these discussions today are taking place at different levels, and not only the participating countries of the Normandy Formation are taking part in this. But I hope that today even such a chance as supporting a ceasefire is a small step forward,” explained the head of Zelensky’s office.
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