Ukraine wants the Normandy format (Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia) in resolving the situation in Donbas to be more effective, and calls on partners to put pressure on Russia so that it behaves more constructively in negotiations.
That's according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba who spoke at an online joint press conference with the foreign ministers of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, who were on a visit to Kyiv.
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The event was broadcast on Facebook on May 7.
"The Normandy format continues to function. Although, of course, we wish it could be more effective. The expansion of the Normandy format requires the consent of all the current participants in the format, first of all, Russia," he said in Ukrainian.
According to Kuleba, if it is impossible to change the structure of the Normandy format at this stage, Kyiv calls on international partners to help Ukraine, as well as France and Germany, to put pressure on Russia so that it behaves more constructively in the Normandy format.
Speaking in an interview for The Financial Times on April 26, 2021, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested increasing the number of participants in the Normandy peace talks on Donbas by involving the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
