President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Paris on Dec. 9 to participate in the Normandy Four meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany and Russia.
Before the meeting, Zelensky met French President Emanuel Macron for a 30-minute face-to-face and then met German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Then, at 5 p.m. Kyiv time, a meeting between Zelensky, Macron, Merkel, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place.
Read also: What to expect from Zelensky, Putin in Paris
UPDATED AT 10:30 p.m.: After Zelensky and Putin held a one-on-one talk for over an hour, all four leaders went back into a broader meeting.
From left: French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, arrive for a meeting on Ukraine at the Elysee Palace, on Dec. 9, 2019 in Paris. (AFP)
The Paris summit marks the first direct peace negotiations between the leaders of the four countries since October 2016. The negotiations aim to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, which began in 2014 and has claimed over 13,000 lives.
Read also: Normandy format peace process timeline
Besides Zelensky, Ukraine’s delegation in Paris includes Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, Energy Minister Oleksiy Orzhel, Security Service chief Andriy Bakanov and the Commander in Chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Ruslan Khomchak.
High-ranking members of Zelensky’s office are also part of the delegation, including Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Bohdan, Zelensky’s First Aide Serhiy Shefir and Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s aide responsible for contacts with foreign delegations.
Before the meeting, Ukraine followed the process outlined in the so-called Steinmeier Formula, a peace plan promising the occupied regions self-governance after they hold local elections under Ukrainian law.
Additionally, the Ukrainian army and the Russian-led militants were to disengage forces from the front line near the towns of Zolote in Luhansk Oblast and Petrivske in Donetsk Oblast, yet attacks from Russian-led forces continue in the region on a near-daily basis.
On Oct. 1, Zelensky held a press conference saying that Ukraine had agreed to the Steinmeier Formula, promising to disengage troops near Zolote and Petrivske following a seven-day ceasefire.
The Ukrainian delegation included Energy Minister Orzhel and Yuriy Vitrenko, CEO of Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas company, because it the issue of gas transit contracts between Ukraine and Russia was expected to come up during the negotiations.
Meanwhile, protesters have gathered in front of the president’s office in downtown Kyiv to await the outcome of the Normandy Four meeting in Paris. On Dec. 8, several thousand people attended a rally in central Independence Square, or Maidan, to demand adherence to what they call “Red Lines” for the Dec. 9 summit.
In Paris, several bare-chest members of Femen protest movement tried to disrupt the meeting, protesting Putin and Russia’s aggression.
