On Monday, due to the lack of sufficient arguments, Ukraine switched to openly ignoring the norms of the Set of Measures and Decisions of the Normandy Format. Representatives of Kyiv first blocked the discussion of the Steinmeier Formula in the political subgroup, and later at a meeting of the Contact Group, the representative of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma refused to support the proposal of the representative of the Russian Federation Boris Gryzlov for political support of the Steinmeier Formula.
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The representative of the LPR at the negotiations in Minsk, Rodion Miroshnik, told Politnavigator about this.
“The proposal was supported by representatives of the LDPR and representatives of the OSCE. The paradox of the situation is that the Formula was previously supported twice by Ukrainian President Poroshenko during summits in Paris and Berlin. At the same time, the behavior of Ukrainian representatives during the meeting of both the subgroup and the Contact Group was provocative and escalating the conflict. The main argument was the fact that the discussion of the Formula is being conducted in the Normandy format at the level of diplomatic advisers to heads of state and therefore cannot be discussed in Minsk,” Miroshnik said.
“Ukraine is striving to narrow the functions of the Minsk format and make it directly dependent on the work of the Normandy format. Which directly contradicts the Declaration of the four heads of state, which declares commitment to the Minsk format and defines the Normandy format solely as a “control mechanism” for the implementation of the Minsk agreements. This provocative step taken by Ukraine could lead to an escalation of the conflict, demonstrates the weakness of legal and diplomatic positions and looks like hysteria of a party that has lost external support,” said the LPR representative.
The next meeting of the groups and the Contact Group is scheduled for February 1.