Russian Permanent Representative to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich has said the prospect of a summit in the Normandy format will become clearer after the OSCE SMM confirms the disengagement of forces in the village of Petrivske and the town of Zolote.
"The implementation of these instructions [the disengagement of forces and the signing of the 'Steinmeier formula] opens the way for a new summit of the Normandy Four. Otherwise, a meeting for the sake of meeting is unlikely to be in demand," Lukashevich said, according to the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
He said they see "some shifts" in the process of resolving the situation in Donbas.
According to Lukashevich, now the "ball" is on the side of Kyiv since Ukraine "must implement the "Steinmeier formula" in the legislation.
"At the same time, it is important to understand that by agreeing on its text in the Trilateral Contact Group, all the necessary amendments related to granting special status to Donbas on an ongoing basis do not come to an end," he said.
The Russian diplomat also said "there can be no 'plan B' in current conditions."
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said the OSCE representatives might not recognize the elections in the occupied territories of Donbas. According to him, in this case, Kyiv has a "plan B" aimed at achieving peace in the region.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the disengagement of troops in the village of Petrivske and the town of Zolote in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, after the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk reached the respective agreement on October 1.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov on October 4 said the preparations for the summit of the Normandy Four leaders were under way.
