Ukrainian foreign minister to discuss implementation of Minsk agreements while visiting U.S.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin is set to discuss the implementation of the Minsk agreements with members of the new U.S. Administration during his visit to the United States in the upcoming days.
"A few days from now, I will be discussing ways to fulfill the Minsk agreements, who will be the guarantors, and how the window of opportunity can be used with members of the new U.S. Administration [...] It [the visit] will take place in the upcoming weeks. We are considering logistic dates; we need to prepare thoroughly but we have definitively agreed to meet soon," Klimkin said on the ICTV channel on Monday.
The sequence of the implementation of the Minsk agreements is on the agenda with U.S. partners, the minister said. "We are offering a clear logic as to how we can fulfill the Minsk agreements, what should be done in the field of security, what role the United States has, how the United States will interact with our 'Normandy format' partners and the EU, and how we will fulfill our humanitarian obligations, primarily the release of hostages, before we proceed to the political settlement logic. This is the logic of sequence and the guarantees we are discussing are with the U.S. side," Klimkin said.
He also said that the atmosphere of the telephone call between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. President Donald Trump was good. He declined to reveal details but said that the substantive conversation and Trump's awareness of the Donbas situation were good signs. "First of all, the conversation had a wonderful atmosphere. Secondly, the conversation was substantive. The U.S. president was aware of current events, including Avdiivka, but he was asking very clear questions. [...] The depth of his questions and the wish to understand the situation looked like good signs," the minister said.