Normandy summit begins in Paris
A Normandy summit of four leaders – Volodymyr
Zelensky of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Angela Merkel of Germany, and
Emmanuel Macron of France – has begun in Paris. This summit has become Zelensky's
first meeting with Putin since his election as Ukraine's president.
Zelensky is set to negotiate the exchange of
prisoners of war, a ceasefire and withdrawal of illegal armed formations from
Donbas, eastern Ukraine. After the summit, Zelensky is scheduled to separately
meet with Putin.
A meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky and German Chancellor Angela Merkel has started in Paris as part of a
Normandy summit. Prior to that, Zelensky met with his French counterpart
Emmanuel Macron, the Office of the President of Ukraine said on Telegram.
Macron, as the leader of the host country, briefed Zelensky on the agenda and
format of the negotiations.
The Ukrainian president is expected to meet with
Russian President Vladimir Putin later today. It will be followed by a meeting
of the four leaders. A press conference is planned on the results of the
Normandy negotiations. As was reported, Paris on Monday is hosting a Normandy
meeting to settle the situation in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. For the first time
in three years, the leaders of Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia are meeting
at the negotiating table to facilitate the implementation of the Minsk peace
agreements on Donbas.
