Zelensky and Macron discussed the fate of the Normandy format

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron discussed countering security challenges and activating the Normandy format.

“We continued the dialogue with Emmanuel Macron on countering security challenges and intensifying the peace process within the Normandy format. We agreed on further joint steps to support the stability of Ukraine and strengthen financial and economic cooperation,” Zelensky said on Twitter.

Macron spoke to Putin

French President Emmanuel Macron also held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 3.

“A substantive dialogue continued on the situation around Ukraine and issues related to the Russian initiative to develop long-term legal guarantees for the security of the Russian Federation. The leaders exchanged assessments of the current state of affairs, including taking into account recent contacts with a number of international partners, as well as in the context of the French presidency in Council of the European Union,” the Kremlin press service said.

The report also says that Putin “draws attention to the provocative statements and actions of the Kiev leadership that run counter to the Minsk agreements.”

Macron is going to Kiev

On the evening of February 2, the President of France did not rule out the possibility of making visits to Moscow, as well as to Kiev. “I am very concerned about the situation on the ground,” he said on the sidelines of a meeting of EU interior ministers.

Normandy talks continue at councilor level

• On January 26, a meeting of advisers to the leaders of the Normandy format took place. The next meeting of advisers was scheduled for February 10, but the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, fell ill with the coronavirus.
• The summit was last held at the Elysee Palace in 2019 and was the first meeting of leaders in the Normandy format since 2016. It was attended by Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Zelensky, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron.
• As a result of the meeting, the Normandy Four signed an action plan. The news about the Paris communiqué was announced by Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
• Already a couple of hours after the meeting, Russia accused Ukraine of breaking the truce. The representative of the Russian Federation said that Ukraine allegedly refuses to agree on important issues.
• In turn, Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, said that the primary task in the Normandy format is to eliminate disagreements in reading the Minsk agreements. According to him, the meeting participants stressed that both sides of the conflict must strictly comply with the ceasefire regime.