German Chancellor Angela Merkel praised the efforts of the Russian and Ukrainian authorities to de-escalate the conflict between the two countries.
“We are witnessing the first small steps taken in recent weeks since Volodymyr Zelensky has taken his office [President of Ukraine],” the Chancellor said in parliament on Wednesday.
At the same time, Merkel expressed hope for the implementation of the Minsk agreements, which is facilitated by meetings in the Normandy format.
“We have a responsibility to reduce tensions between Russia and Ukraine,” the chancellor emphasized.
Russia and Ukraine accomplished a 35-for-35 captive swap on September 7. Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, journalist Roman Suschenko, and 24 sailors detained last year following the incident in the Kerch Strait were transferred to Kyiv.
Moscow, in turn, released 35 persons.
