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“Difficult” Normandy talks continue
Late in the evening there were talks in Berlin in the so-called Normandy format on the Ukraine crisis on Thursday. Chief advisers from Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia were also present. It is currently the only round of talks in which delegations from Moscow and Kiev negotiate directly with each other at a high level. The Russian envoy, Dmitry Kozak, criticizes Ukraine’s unclear position. The country has no clear idea of the future of the Donbass region, which is currently controlled by pro-Russian separatists. But at least, according to those involved, it became clear on Thursday evening that everyone wants to stick to the Minsk peace agreement of 2014. Several maneuvers began on Thursday. Both in Belarus, where Russian soldiers held exercises together with Belarusian ones. As well as on the Ukrainian side. Russia has supported pro-Russian separatists who control parts of eastern Ukraine since 2014. Because the Russian army has massed more than 100,000 soldiers near the border with Ukraine, Western countries fear an attack. Russia rejects this.
It is currently the only round of talks in which delegations from Moscow and Kiev negotiate directly with each other at a high level.