{"id":161848,"date":"2022-01-28T15:30:51","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T13:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/?p=161848"},"modified":"2022-01-28T21:23:43","modified_gmt":"2022-01-28T19:23:43","slug":"normandy-four-meets-in-paris-bid-to-revive-the-grouping-or-push-ukraine-for-concessions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/normandy-four-meets-in-paris-bid-to-revive-the-grouping-or-push-ukraine-for-concessions","title":{"rendered":"Normandy Four meets in Paris: bid to revive the grouping or push Ukraine for concessions?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On Wednesday January 26, advisors to leaders of Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia, a grouping known as the Normandy Four, met in Paris amid fears of a renewed Russian invasion of Ukraine. Andriy Yermak, Head of the Presidential Office attended on behalf of Ukraine.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meeting that came after a long pause marked a \u201crevival of the Normandy format,\u201d Yermak said. Yet there are concerns that the Normandy partners could prompt Ukraine to make concessions in the face of a threat of Russia\u2019s aggression. Here\u2019s what we know about the meeting.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meeting lasted longer than scheduled. Advisors to the four heads of state \u2013 Andriy Yermak, Dmitry Kozak, Emmanuel Bonne, and Jens Pl\u00f6tner talked for eight hours behind closed doors. They made no breakthrough, their public comments after the meeting suggest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remarks by Yermak.<\/strong> The group issued a declaration and agreed to meet in Berlin two weeks later. The sides agreed that the ceasefire in Donbas has to hold unconditionally, Yermak said.     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUkraine and Russia admitted they have disagreements over the Minsk agreements, but said they are willing to work on them. The next meeting will be in Berlin in two weeks. We agreed to continue the talks,\u201d Yermak said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He did not provide further details. Generally the ceasefire holds, but there are minor violations at times, the Chief of Staff to the Ukrainian President said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stressed the importance of maintaining a ceasefire against the backdrop of heightened tensions on Ukraine\u2019s border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe declaration we adopted today is the first since December 2019,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remarks by Russia\u2019s envoy.<\/strong> The meeting was \u201ccomplex\u201d and aimed to \u201crevise different views of the Minsk agreements\u201d, said Dmitry Kozak, deputy head of the administration of the Russian President. The sides agreed to meet in Berlin after domestic consultations. He also confirmed the ceasefire arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe agreed that the ceasefire has to hold unconditionally despite the disagreements over the Minsk agreements,\u201d Kozak said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said Ukraine and the so-called separatist republics were fully responsible for a ceasefire. Russia is not a party to the conflict in Donbas, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday, Ukraine\u2019s Joint Forces recorded a violation of the Minsk agreements. \u201cOn the frontline in Luhansk region, service members of a mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces spotted a hostile subversive group as it tried to enter the area. The group retreated to the temporarily occupied territory,\u201d a report by the Joint Forces command reads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Ukraine, all eyes on talks.<\/strong> In Ukraine, all eyes were on the meeting, despite no hopes for a breakthrough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, ahead of the meeting, the Western media quoting anonymous sources said Ukraine could be pushed to hold direct talks with the leaders of the occupied territories in Donbas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reports were met with anger in Ukraine. Kyiv has been firm in its posture that direct talks with the militants would give them legitimacy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile Russia and the militants it backs continue to insist on having direct talks between the Ukrainian government and the so-called separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk. Ahead of his departure to Paris, Andriy Yermak disproved those reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have not held direct talks with the separatists, and we will not hold them,\u201d he said in a comment to RBC Ukraine. The advisors to the leaders of the Normandy Quad did not have a clear agenda, he added.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine was determined to discuss a ceasefire, humanitarian efforts, opening of the crossings, and the prospect of the Normandy Four\u2019s work, he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, Russia demanded that Ukraine recalls a bill on the transitional period for the occupied territories ahead of the meeting. The government recalled it. The Office of the President denied that. \u201cThe bill cements de-occupation of the uncontrolled territories and dissolution of occupational administrations. Under the bill, a \u2018direct dialogue\u2019 is impossible, so is the co-existence of the Ukrainian and self-proclaimed administrations. That is critical for Moscow,\u201d political analyst Maria Zolkina explains in a column for EuroPravda.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talks that end with no progress play into Russia\u2019s hands, Zolkina says. Russia will present them as an act of good will in a standoff with the U.S. \u201cRussia will \u2018trade\u2019 to the West the Paris meeting of the advisors, its formal support to a ceasefire, and an agreement on a new meeting in Berlin as de-escalation and a constructive change in its posture. That\u2019s a smart bet. Russia holds a meeting with no progress, and gets a concession by Ukraine. Strategically that is more beneficial than making a step back in its demands for the U.S. and NATO, or withdrawing the troops from the Western border. Moscow did nothing, but got a right to claim \u2018good intentions\u2019 at the talks with Washington,\u201d Zolkina said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday January 26, advisors to leaders of Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia, a grouping known as the Normandy Four, met in Paris amid fears of a renewed Russian invasion of Ukraine. Andriy Yermak, Head of the Presidential Office attended on behalf of Ukraine.   The meeting that came after a long pause marked a \u201crevival […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":161719,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[700,699],"tags":[],"section":[743,648],"form":[],"yoast_head":"\nNormandy Four meets in Paris: bid to revive the grouping or push Ukraine for concessions? | UACRISIS.ORG<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On Wednesday January 26, advisors to leaders of Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia, a grouping known as the Normandy Four, met in Paris amid fears of a | Uacrisis.org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/normandy-four-meets-in-paris-bid-to-revive-the-grouping-or-push-ukraine-for-concessions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Normandy Four meets in Paris: bid to revive the grouping or push Ukraine for concessions? 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