Ukraine should have suspended participation in the Minsk process until a Normandy format meeting following deaths of four Ukrainian soldiers in Donbas on August 6, Ukrainian representative in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG)'s political subgroup Roman Bezsmertny said on the ATR television channel.

"In my opinion, the first thing we should have done after the Pavlopil incident is suspend Ukraine's involvement in the Minsk process until a Normandy format meeting," Bezsmertny said.

He added that a Normandy format summit of Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia was "unlikely until after the autumnal elections in Russia."

"They want to withstand this mood of the electorate in order to preserve the influence of United Russia Party and Putin as a politician in Russia," Bezsmertny said.

As reported, four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in an attack near Pavlopil in Volnovakha district of Donetsk region on August 6.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had phone talks with the presidents of Russia and France, Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron, on August 7. He told them about the servicemen's deaths and called for an urgent summit in the Normandy format.

According to the Ukrainian presidential press service, Macron said he would coordinate the initiative with Putin and German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In turn, the Élysée Palace said Macron would raise the issue during talks with Putin on August 19.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk said that the German government has reaffirmed the readiness to step up talks in the Normandy format.