A regular meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) was held via video conference with the participation of the delegations of Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and under the OSCE moderation.
The discussion of procedural issues lasted for about four hours, which, however, did not allow to proceed immediately to the consideration of the issues on the agenda of the meeting.
"Do not block the negotiation process and focus on the issues the solution of which Ukrainian citizens are interested in," Leonid Kravchuk, Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group, urged authorized representative of the Russian Federation Boris Gryzlov at the beginning of the meeting.
According to him, "the parties should work on the implementation of the decisions of the heads of state of the Normandy format reached during the Paris summit bringing closer peace long-awaited by people".
Leonid Kravchuk, in particular, stressed that the Ukrainian delegation is ready to work constructively to address the issues on the agenda of the TCG.
The Head of the Ukrainian delegation called not to create "stumbling blocks", but to "move forward, focusing on strengthening the ceasefire, the release of detainees and the solution of problems, which ordinary people are interested in”.
Addressing Boris Gryzlov, Leonid Kravchuk stated: “Do not issue us ultimatums. We are not in the USSR and not under the Kremlin. Ukraine is an independent state that will not allow to dictate any conditions to it!”.
The Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group also thanked Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and the TCG Heidi Grau for the Organization's efforts to achieve peace and restore Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.