You're reading: Kyiv says Normandy format summit ‘one step’ closer

Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office Andriy Yermak believes that the meeting of political advisors to the chiefs of Normandy format member states, which was held in Berlin on July 3, has brought nearer the Berlin summit of Ukraine, France, Germany, and Russia.

“The Berlin summit is one step closer after today’s meeting,” the press service of the Ukrainian President’s Office quoted Yermak as saying on July 4.

The political advisors agreed on the need for practical measures to ensure the complete and comprehensive implementation of the Donbas ceasefire.

“Participants in the meeting agreed that the utmost effort should be taken to ensure the complete implementation of the decisions made at the Normandy format summit in Paris. In particular, the sides agreed that practical measures were needed to ensure the complete and comprehensive implementation of the ceasefire,” the press service said.

The Ukrainian delegation to the meeting of the political advisors from the four Normandy format member states noted that “the agreements reached at the Normandy format summit in Paris should be fulfilled. Ukraine, as well as its Normandy format partners, France and Germany, exhibited the readiness for doing the utmost to achieve the objective,” it said.

Russia took a pause to prepare a response to the consolidated stance of Ukraine, France, and Germany, it said.

The meeting was attended by Yermak and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Oleksiy Reznikov, who headed the Ukrainian delegation.

The negotiations lasted for 11 hours.