The leaders of Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia gathered at a table of negotiations for a first top-level meeting in three years to get a 2015 peace agreement signed by Ukraine and Russia in Minsk back on track. After the talks, President of Ukraine Zelenskyy and President of Russia Putin had their first one-on-one meeting. Earlier they communicated only by phone.

Following the talks that continued almost into midnight, the leaders of the “Normandy Four” gave a joint press conference and issued a joint communique.

One of the main results of the summit was the agreement reached by the leaders to continue the started dialog. The joint statement says that the Minsk Accords remain to be the basis for the work of the “Normandy Format” member-states who are committed to the full implementation of the Accords.

The negotiating sides have confirmed their commitment to a full and comprehensive implementation of a ceasefire, strengthened by the implementation of all necessary ceasefire support measures. In accordance with the joint communique, the sides have to promote the development and implementation of a revised mine-clearing plan. The document also provides for the disengagement of military forces and equipment at three additional disengagement areas by the end of March 2020 and an “all-for-all” prisoner swap by the end of this year. The sides also pledge to encourage the opening of new civilian crossing points along the line of contact and to ensure the operation of the law on special status of the Donbas on a permanent basis.

President Zelenskyy noted, however, that the comprehensive solution to all these questions is impossible to make without ensuring the main component – security. In his words, a full and permanent ceasefire has to begin by the end of this year. The mandate of a mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will be expanded to enable them to conduct a round-the-clock monitoring seven days a week.

During the joint press conference, President Zelenskyy said that he had insisted on the restoration of Ukraine’s full control over its State border. He expressed confidence that the sides would return to this crucial issue at the next meeting of the “Normandy Four” which is due to be held four months later. In the words of Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian side has repeatedly undescored the importance of a withdrawal of all foreign troops and heavy weapons as well as the disarmament of illegal military formations in some districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Ukrainian President stressed that local elections in the separatist regions could be held only in compliance with Ukrainian legislation and standards of the OSCE.

Ukraine pledges to incorporate the Steinmeier Formula into its legislation. “Undoubtedly, there are still many questions that we’ve failed to solve. It has to be done in the future. And I’m sure we’ll certainly do it together”, noted President Zelenskyy.

At the same time, the head of Ukrainian State outlined principles that he believes inviolable for himself as the President of Ukraine, the principles that Ukrainian people will never allow to be broken. “First, Ukraine is a unitary State. This is a fundamental principle for the State to exist which is confirmed by the Constitution of Ukraine. Therefore no federalization is possible. Second, no one can influence the vector of movement and development of Ukraine. Ukraine is an independent democratic country and it is for the people of Ukraine to choose the victor of its development”, Zelenskyy added.

“Third, no consessions are admissable at the expense of Ukrainian territories within the internationally established limits in order to regulate the situation in the east of Ukraine. The Donbas and Crimea are Ukraine for every Ukrainian”, stressed President Zelenskyy. During the talks he declared that Ukrainians have the well-deserved right to no longer believe in words and promises. “But we hope that all arrangements reached will be kept. At the same time we are well aware that only concrete actions can serve as confirmation of the readiness of all sides involved to ensure peace. For our part, we are ready to fulfill all agreements but it is a two-way road”, summed up Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In commenting on the top-level meeting of the Ukrainian and Russian Presidents, the Internet newspaper Ukrainian Truth claims referring to an informed source that the top executives focused mainly on a timetable for elections in the Donbas and on the borders in the separatist regions which Kyiv does not control.

“As for the borders, the sides stuck to their positions and failed to come to an agreement”, said the source. According to his information, Putin insisted on holding elections first in the separatist districts which would allow Ukraine to regain control over its borders. Zelenskyy did not agree with him. As for the transit of Russian gas via Ukrainian territory, the sides “agreed to continue negotiating”.

The sides have decided to return to the issue of the control over the borders in the Donbas later, during the next summit four months later. According to information disclosed by Dmitri Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian President, the next summit meeting is scheduled to be held in Berlin next April.

The first response of Ukrainian public to results of the Paris summit can be considered rather positive. First of all, the very fact of its holding after three years of inactivity gives hope that a compomise will eventually be reached in search for peace in the Donbas. Secondly, Volodymyr Zelensky managed not to cross a single “red line” while resolutely defending national interests of Ukraine. The indirect evidence for this is the fact that numerous crowds of demonstrators who had spent the night of the summit in front of the presidential office in Kyiv waiting for the results later broke up the action of protest and went away.

The newspaper Holos Ukrainy