Ukraine is set to hold the next summit in the Normandy format, which embraces Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia and aims at a settlement in Donbas, in 2021, deputy chief of the Office of the Ukrainian President and presidential foreign policy advisor Ihor Zhovkva has said.

"We set the goal of holding the next summit in the Normandy format in 2021. Its strategic mission will be to discuss the keynote issue, i.e. bringing peace to Donbas on Ukrainian terms. In this respect, we are counting on further support from our partners in the Normandy format, Germany and France," Zhovkva said in an article entitled "Foreign Policy Priorities of Ukraine in 2021" and published by ZN.UA.

The effort towards implementing the agreements reached by the Normandy format leaders in Paris in December 2019 will be continuing, he said.

Speaking of tactical tasks, Zhovkva mentioned further implementation of the ceasefire, intensification of the activity of the Trilateral Contact Group, continuation of the exchange of captives, operation of the existent checkpoints and full-fledged reopening of the new ones, disengagement of forces and hardware in new designated areas, implementation of the updated demining plan, provision of the access of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other international humanitarian organizations to captives, and unhampered access of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Donbas territories uncontrolled by Kyiv.

In the words of Zhovkva, Ukraine will also keep on working on increasing international pressure on Russia so that the latter fulfills its obligations.

"The sanctions against Russia are helping Ukraine with the peace process, so they should remain in place until the complete restoration of the status quo, which Ukrainian diplomats are working on non-stop year after year and will be continuing to successfully do so," he said.