Putin, Merkel, Hollande pressed in unison - Poroshenko and Klimkin faltered
The main result of the Normandy Four meeting in Berlin was Petro Poroshenko’s recognition that Ukraine can regain control of the border only after fulfilling all the political points of the Minsk agreements.
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“For the first time in a year since the previous summit, statements were made that show that there is a common position on a peaceful settlement. Positions on the presence of the OSCE are being coordinated; everyone has agreed to clearly read the Minsk agreements, in particular, paragraph 9, which states that the restoration of control over the Ukrainian border will occur after the elections in Donbass. In addition, everyone agreed to prepare another document - the Road Map.
There are positive dynamics in the Minsk process. Unfortunately, it is covered very little in Ukraine. At the same time, it is alarming that in fact there are different interpretations of the results and all moans have different interpretations of what happened in Berlin.
For example, our Western partners, Merkel and Hollande, placed the main emphasis on negotiations on a special status, while Ukrainian President Poroshenko did not remember this topic at all. During his press conferences, he said that the main result of the summit was the decision to prepare a Road Map and negotiations on the status of the OSCE mission. The Russian side gives its interpretation and insists on the importance of implementing the Minsk agreements.
But for Ukraine, the main result of the negotiations in Berlin was that for the first time since the first Minsk in 2014, Ukraine was faced with the consolidated position of the other participants of the Normandy Four - Germany, France, Russia - that Ukraine implement the Minsk agreements, in particular parts where the restoration of control over the border is envisaged - this should happen after local elections in Donbass. And for the first time, Ukrainian officials acknowledged this fact, and you know that for many it was a surprise - when both the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs confirmed this.
It took us a year and nine months to recognize what we signed - that control over the border - only after local elections. And the time when representatives of Ukraine were forgiven a lot regarding the free interpretation of the Minsk agreements has already passed. Today our partners, primarily Western ones, will demand from Ukraine a common position in regulating this process.
I think that in many ways this situation arose because the Ukrainian leadership believed that the Minsk agreements were written for everyone else except us. We have heard many times free interpretations of the Minsk agreements,” Kozhara recalled.
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