Following the phone conversation, the leaders of the Normandy Four leaders agreed on a joint statement, expressing their “strong support for the imminent decision of the Trilateral Contact Group on August 23 to announce a ceasefire on the occasion of the beginning of the school year.”
“The leaders expressed their expectation that such a ceasefire would turn into a sustainable improvement of the security situation, for the benefit of the schoolchildren and for the entire civilian population in Donbas,” the statement says.
On the basis of a sustainable ceasefire, the leaders committed to personally stay engaged in the further implementation of the Minsk agreements.
Petro Poroshenko informed of today’s visit to the town of Shchastia located close to occupied Luhansk, and his meeting there with representatives of forward patrol base of the OSCE SMM, which is permanently based in Stanytsia Luhanska. The President of Ukraine expressed full support to its 24-hour activity in this location.
The Ukrainian president also called for an immediate release of all Ukrainian hostages illegally held in captivity.
