President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated his readiness to use all available formats of negotiations, and also welcomed new possible formats that would help end the war in Donbas and bring peace to the entire territory of our country. The President said this during a conversation with media representatives on the sidelines of the sixth Eastern Partnership Summit, which is taking place in Brussels.
"We want the talks to be held in several formats. We reiterate our readiness for the Normandy format. We talked about this today with the President of the French Republic. There was also a meeting with the Chancellor of Germany and acquaintance with him. Three of us talked as well - three countries of the Normandy format. We talked about specific details, steps for the meeting in the Normandy format. In general, we have a common position, we are considering the possibility of this very important meeting (of the "Normandy Four" - ed.)," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
At the same time, the President of Ukraine noted that this meeting is needed primarily in the context of the security situation in our country. The Ukrainian side wants to settle the issue of returning to a ceasefire, releasing detainees and opening two checkpoints on the line of delimitation.
"This is exactly what the leaders of the Normandy format are to convey to the Russian Federation, and the result should be a meeting in the Normandy format. If Russia is really interested in resolving this issue," the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also called for the active involvement of the United States in the peace process, as he told US President Joseph Biden during their talks.
"I would like them to play one of the main, not episodic, roles in the peace settlement. And if it is difficult to join the Normandy format, we can go on a parallel track. We are ready for tripartite summits. But nothing can be decided about Ukraine without Ukraine," the President noted.
In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed once again that our state is ready for any format of negotiations with the Russian Federation.
"We are talking about it openly and not for the first time. We need the same desire to stop the war on the part of the Russian Federation," said the President of Ukraine.
Answering journalists' questions, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the issue of Nord Stream 2 could be used as a tool to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to advance in the peace process.
"We spoke today with Chancellor Scholz about Nord Stream 2. I believe that this issue - and this is a security issue - is a serious tool for talks with the Russian Federation. And I think it is a very fair instrument, which today is in the hands of some European leaders, where Chancellor Scholz plays an important role," said the President.
The President of Ukraine said that during their talks with the German Chancellor in Brussels on the sidelines of the Eastern Partnership Summit, he raised the issue that such an instrument could lead to a meeting with the President of the Russian Federation, which could result in certain progress in the fulfillment of the Minsk agreements or other steps aimed to end the conflict in the east of our country.
