President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that during the talks of the leaders of the Normandy Four in Paris, he had raised the issue of restoring Ukraine’s full control over the state border in the east. The parties will continue to discuss this issue at the next meeting in the Normandy format.
"We have a completely different view with the President of the Russian Federation regarding transferring the border and when it is possible," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with the media following the Normandy summit in Paris.
According to him, the Russian side insists that, according to the Minsk agreements signed by the previous President of Ukraine, the transfer of the border under the control of Ukraine should take place after the elections.
“Today, I insisted on the necessity of regaining Ukraine’s full control over the state border. I am confident that we will return to this issue at the next meeting in the Normandy format in four months,” the President of Ukraine added.
The Head of State expressed hope that a solution would be found in this issue.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted that during the meeting he had emphasized the need to withdraw all foreign armed formations, military equipment and disarm illegal military formations in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
"I emphasized that local elections in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are possible only in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine and OSCE standards based on the Copenhagen criteria," the Head of State said.
As for the issue of holding local elections in the uncontrolled territories of Donbas, its discussion will be continued at the level of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk. "I think in four months there will be some options at the meeting," he said.
"The two most difficult issues we have today are the elections and the border," the President of Ukraine summarized.
