Ukrainian representative to the Trilateral Contact Group for Donbas Leonid Kuchma does not deem an expansion of the negotiating format, for instance, with the U.S., to be expedient.

"Certain critics of the Minsk negotiating process from amongst former and acting politicians have said lately that the format of these negotiations should change. For instance, they suggest that the U.S. and other signatories to the Budapest Memorandum, the Eight, the G20 and international conferences be involved. To my mind, these proposals are not just naive from the angle of their implementation but are also harmful for the Minsk process," Kuchma told the weekly Focus in an interview.

"First of all, the new format cannot appear only if Ukraine wishes so. That will also require at least the wish of the countries we would like to involve in the negotiations. Speaking of the U.S., it has no plans to become a direct participant in the Donbas settlement negotiations. There seems to be no such prospect after January 20, 2017, either. Obviously, the same is true about some other countries, including signatories to the Budapest Memorandum," he said.

"Second of all, the experience of settling other conflicts on the post-Soviet space demonstrates that even expanded formats do not bring tangible results," the second Ukrainian president said, referencing the resolution of military conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh and Transdniester.

"As for the Donbas situation, the attempts at expanding the negotiating format may set back or even nullify everything that has been achieved in the Minsk-2 format. Let me remind you that the Minsk agreements have become a part of international legal documents. They have been approved by a resolution of the UN Security Council. They are used for guidance and referred to by the whole world," he said.

The Trilateral Contact Group has an auxiliary role in the negotiating process, while the Normandy format of the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine plays the principal role, Kuchma said.

"Everything should be done to implement the Minsk agreements; they should not be called into question. They should absolutely not be discarded either. Or otherwise the fragile truce may be ruined and Ukraine may face the threat of losing international support," the Ukrainian envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group said.