13:46 25.12.2020

Zelensky says will call Putin if meeting of advisors to Normandy Four leaders delayed

3 min read
Zelensky says will call Putin if meeting of advisors to Normandy Four leaders delayed

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he will certainly speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin if the decision on a meeting of the advisors to the Normandy Four leaders continues to be delayed.

"If there are further delays with the advisors' meeting, I will certainly talk to him [the Russian president]," Zelensky said in an interview with the Focus magazine published on its website on Friday.

The advisors to the leaders of the Normandy Four countries (Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia) were supposed to meet in December, the Ukrainian president said.

"This meeting did not take place. First, they are engaged in an argument. Second, it cannot take place now because of the coronavirus," he said.

After such meeting is held, Ukraine will begin working on a plan to settle the crisis in Donbas "with all the dates," he said.

"We are moving forward, albeit with difficulty. This is plan A," he said.

As regards plan B, "it is too early to say anything, because it is painful and very subtle diplomacy," Zelensky said.

The Minsk Agreements are tied to sanctions against Russia, he said.

"As I said at one briefing, I believe that we cannot simply withdraw from the Minsk Agreements, because Europeans could lift sanctions on Russia and representatives of the certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. But, if you ask me, I would withdraw from them," Zelensky said.

Zelensky said that he does not want to even imagine a situation where Russia could attack Ukraine from the direction of Crimea.

"We'll hope that it is impossible. Otherwise, there would be a large-scale war. We won't go anywhere. All of us will fight. All of us, both men and women, will be mobilized," he said.

Zelensky said that there is currently no subject to discuss with Putin.

"I can phone him. He will certainly speak to me," he said.

At the same time, Zelensky reiterated the need for dialogue with the Russian president both in the Normandy format and face-to-face.

"As president of Ukraine, I ought to tackle all challenging issues with him. And if it helps stop the war sooner, I should communicate with him. Besides, I believe that there should be both dialogue within the Normandy format and direct dialogue, because there are issues that we do not touch upon in the Normandy format - neither the issue of hostages in Russia or Crimea nor the issue of Crimea. This format is purely about Donbas. Therefore, we ought to address a broader agenda face-to-face," the Ukrainian president said.

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