Trilateral Contact Group should continue meetings in Minsk – French foreign minister

The Trilateral Contact Group for settling the conflict in eastern Ukraine should continue its meetings to ensure the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, says French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development Jean-Marc Ayrault.

"The security situation should be stable. To this end, there is a need for a certain political horizon. The dialogue in Minsk should be continued between the parties involved in the conflict. But this shouldn't be seen as a goal in itself. The goal is the implementation of the Minsk Agreements," Ayrault said at a joint press conference with the Ukrainian and German foreign ministers in Kyiv on Tuesday.

The Minsk Agreements are a legally binding international document, Ayrault said.

"This concerns Ukraine, Russia, and other countries. The situation is very unstable. We want to avoid further risks, and we have clearly told the separatists and Russia that the tensions should be eased," he said.