The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that he intends to speak with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, if the date of the meeting of the leaders' advisors of the "Normandy format" continues to be delayed.
About this he рассказал in an interview with Focus magazine.
"If the meeting of advisers continues to be delayed, I will definitely communicate with him (the president of the Russian Federation)," the president noted.
Zelensky noted that the meeting of advisers to the leaders of the "Normandy Four" (Ukraine, Germany, France, Russia) was supposed to take place in December.
"This meeting never took place. First, they will argue. Secondly, the coronavirus, so it won't happen now either," the head of state said.
According to Zelenskyi, after such a meeting takes place, Ukraine will prepare a settlement plan for Donbas "with all dates".
"It is difficult, but we are moving forward. This is all plan A," he emphasized.
When asked about Plan B, the president said: "It's too early to speak, because it's painful and delicate diplomacy."
He also noted that the Minsk agreements are tied to sanctions against the Russian Federation.
"As I said at one of the briefings, I believe that we cannot leave the Minsk agreements just like that. Because the Europeans can lift sanctions from Russia and representatives of the ORDLO. But personally, I would leave," said the President of Ukraine.
At the same time, Zelensky noted that there is still no topic for conversation with Putin.
"I can call him, he will definitely talk to me," he said.
In addition, the head of the Ukrainian state believes that dialogue with the president of the Russian Federation is necessary both in the "Normandy format" and "tete-a-tete".
"As the President of Ukraine, I have to solve all difficult issues with him. And if it helps to stop the war faster, I must communicate with him. In addition, I believe that there should be a dialogue like the Norman format, as well as a direct dialogue. Because there are issues that we do not touch on in the Norman format - neither the issue of hostages in Russia or Crimea, nor the issue of Crimea. This format is purely about Donbass. Therefore, we must speak with him globally face-to-face," said the President of Ukraine.
