The agreements reached by the leaders of the member states of the Normandy format at the last meeting in Paris in late 2019 are being implemented, although not as quickly as we would like, as stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Euronews.
The Head of State noted that the regime of silence in Donbas has already been introduced and is being observed, and agreements have been reached on disengagement sites and 20 demining sites.
"The second meeting in the Normandy format shows that we have a great chance to end the war," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President of Ukraine is hopeful that the war could be finished this year.
"If you compare our team and the previous one - no one wanted the way I want this. Nobody has set such a pace and put so much pressure on this issue, and everyone sees that. And I'm not just talking about Ukrainians - all our foreign partners see that. I know that no one will finish it sooner than me," he said.
The President stressed that currently there is no other effective plan for a peaceful settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine, which would be supported by all four parties to the Normandy negotiating format. Therefore, he wants to continue moving on this path until the end of the war in Donbas.
"If it (negotiation format - ed.) does not work, then we will think of another plan," the President emphasized.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he has a direct dialogue with President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin at the time necessary for that. For example, such a conversation took place before the introduction of the regime of silence. Its observance for a month demonstrates the effectiveness of this dialogue.
"I am not afraid of the direct dialogue with the President of the Russian Federation. I think that's right. If there is such an opportunity - to speak, and these talks move us forward in the issue of ending the war, we must do so. There will be no result unless we talk. I already understand this for sure. If there is no dialogue, if we do not call when it is necessary, there will be no peaceful result,” the Head of State summarized.