Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Tuesday for a four-way summit with Moscow, Paris and Berlin to “end the conflict” with pro-Russian separatists in the east of his country.
“The time has come to reach an agreement that ends the conflict, and we are ready to take the necessary decisions during a new summit,” Zelensky said in a statement, when he received advisers to the French president and the German chancellor, according to “AFP.”
Negotiations are currently underway between Russia and the United States over the Ukraine crisis, to be followed by negotiations between Moscow and NATO.
Zelensky’s statement comes amid an escalating crisis on the country’s eastern border, with Russia massing tens of thousands of troops.
While Kiev asserts that Moscow wants to invade its lands, the latter denies this and asserts that its moves do not threaten anyone.
Ukrainian forces have been fighting since 2014 with Russian-backed rebels in the Donbass region, and successive ceasefire agreements have not succeeded in restoring calm to the region.
These events began with marches in Donbass following the massive protests in Ukraine in 2014, and quickly turned into armed confrontations between separatist forces and the Ukrainian army.