Zelensky names his main victory at Paris summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he considers it a success that during the Normandy Format summit the sides managed to agree on specific terms for the release of detained persons.
He said this at a meeting with media representatives following the summit in Paris on Tuesday, December 10, according to the website of the head of state.
“The most important victory for me is that we agreed on the ‘all for all’ [prisoner] swap. It has been written down in the Minsk agreements, but now we have agreed on the terms. I believe that this will be respected,” Zelensky said.
He added that earlier the prisoner swap was discussed in Minsk as part of the Trilateral Contact Group, but it was not always implemented. “It seems to me that now that this issue has risen to the highest level, it will be resolved very quickly on both sides – by the end of the year,” Zelensky said.
The first stage, he said, should be the release of all agreed persons. “We will now be shown lists. Now we are talking about Donbas [persons held in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas],” Zelensky said.
He also noted that during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, they discussed the possibility of releasing people who are held not only in Donbas but also in Crimea and Russia.
“Let’s take the first step, a big step because 72 people can come home. I really want to do it by the end of the year,” Zelensky said.
The Normandy Four summit was held in Paris on December 9. It was attended by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany.
Before the summit, the Ukrainian president held bilateral talks with the leaders of France and Germany. The summit talks were also interrupted for Zelensky’s face-to-face meeting with Putin.
© 2019 Ukrinform News
Advertising
Face to face with Putin?
LikeLiked by 2 people
I expect Muscovy to come up with a million excuses why prisoners can’t be exchanged. Putin is a confirmed liar, and I wouldn’t trust him one inch.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I published an article, and it’s gone. I think my app is hacked.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You have a post that is in drafts called Ukraine, China to expand cooperation in information sphere, that was two hours ago.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, just published it. Maybe a connection issue. So far everything works now.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Could be, at least you wasn’t hacked.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov said that during the Normandy summit in Paris, the aide to President Putin, Vladislav Surkov “lost temper”. The Kremlin’s senior staffer was overcharged and incompetent when discussing disengagement in Donbas and the issue of Ukraine regaining control of the border. “Mr. Surkov lost his temper, threw papers on the table and shouted: ‘We had a different deal’. They offered that we further withdraw troops. Withdraw where? In Maryinka? Where every meter has been soaked with blood. Besides, the withdrawal means the surrender of our positions for kilometers. Or should it be Shyrokyne, where we stand to protect Mariupol? This is nonsense,” the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs quoted Avakov as saying.
LikeLiked by 3 people