Russia must commit itself to stabilize the ceasefire in Donbas. This was announced to Russian President Vladimir Putin during his conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, - the press service of the Élysée Palace reports.
During the videoconference, "the need for Russia to take on a firm commitment to stabilize the ceasefire in Ukraine and work out a way out of the crisis in compliance with the Minsk agreements was emphasized", - the message says.
The press service of the German Chancellor, in turn, reported that during the conversation between the leaders of the three countries, "the settlement of the conflict in the east of Ukraine was discussed". During the discussion, "The Chancellor and the President of France called (Vladimir Putin - OstroV) to hold negotiations in the Normandy format on the implementation of the Minsk agreements".
Meanwhile, the discussion of the Donbas topic in the Kremlin press service is presented in a completely different tone. There is no mention of a possible meeting of the leaders of the Normandy Four countries and the assumption of Russia's responsibility for the war in eastern Ukraine. Instead, the idea of the need for direct negotiations between Ukraine and the puppet authorities of CADLO runs like a golden thread. "The President of Russia emphasized the importance of the Kyiv authorities fulfilling all the agreements previously reached at the highest level, primarily on establishing a direct dialogue with Donetsk and Luhansk and settling the legal aspects of the special status of Donbas", - Putin's press service reported.
In addition, according to the version of the President of the Russian Federation, it is Ukraine that provokes the escalation of "armed confrontation on the line of contact."
As previously reported, a joint statement of 46 UN countries on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of adoption by the UN General Assembly of the resolution on the territorial integrity of Ukraine stated that Russia is a party to the conflict in the Donbas, and not a mediator.