Kyiv, August 19, 2014 – The events of the upcoming week will help to craft a diplomatic roadmap seeking the way from war to peace. This was stated by Valery Chaly, Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration, at his press briefing in Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
Valery Chaly stated that a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the EU and the “Eurasian Trio” (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia) will be held on August 26 to discuss issues that have to do with the implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, energy security, and stabilizing the situation in Donbas.
After telephone consultations with the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, EU Commission President Jose-Manuel Barroso expressed his readiness to send three EU Commission members (Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, EU Commission Vice-President and Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger and Commissioner for Trade Karel de Gucht) to participate in the meeting. “Such an unprecedented step is a proof of solidarity and support for Ukraine on part of the European Union, and provides us the opportunity to reinforce Ukraine’s position in these multilateral talks,” noted Mr. Chaly.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko also accepted EU Council President Herman van Rompuy and EU Commission President Jose-Manuel Barroso’s invitation to conduct an official visit to Brussels on August 30.
“This Saturday we are expecting the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit Kyiv, to discuss the issues of settling the crisis in the eastern Ukraine, as well as financial aid on part of Germany,” reported Valery Chaly. He also added that the President of the EU Commission and the President of Ukraine discussed the issue of the third-level macro financial aid for Ukraine on part of the EU.
The Presidential Administration Deputy Head also stated that the Ukrainian delegation, headed by Petro Poroshenko, is preparing to participate in the NATO summit, which will take place on September 4-5 in Wales, wherein cooperation plans between Ukraine and the Alliance will be discussed.
“Obviously, such swift diplomatic solutions will help to decrease the number of casualties among our heroes, who grant us an opportunity to reach peaceful solutions while they keep fighting. I believe that the nearest two weeks will be crucial in paving the way out of war and towards peace,” added Valery Chaly.
