Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Wolfgang Ischinger believes that the United States and the European Union ought to join negotiations on settling the conflict in the south-east of Ukraine.

The U.S. and the EU as a whole should be represented at this negotiating table, Ischinger told reporters in Minsk on Thursday.

Broadening or altering the format of talks on Ukraine could help settle the situation, he said, adding that progress would actually be achieved when there was both sides' political will for that.

An election campaign is currently under way in Ukraine, and one should not expect any headway to be made in this process until it is over, Ischinger said.

Innovative proposals that were put forth by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday may give a fresh impetus to these talks and bring more energy into them, he said.