Ukraine's Zelenskyy, French Senate's Head Discuss Possible Normandy Format Meeting - Kiev

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the French Senate Gerard Larcher discussed progress in implementing the Minsk agreements and a possible meeting in the Normandy format, the Ukrainian leader's press service said in a statement on Tuesday

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th June, 2019) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the French Senate Gerard Larcher discussed progress in implementing the Minsk agreements and a possible meeting in the Normandy format, the Ukrainian leader's press service said in a statement on Tuesday.

On Monday, Zelenskyy was in Paris on his first official visit. He met with French President Emmanuel Macron and several other officials.

"During the meeting, they also talked about the return of captured sailors and political prisoners held in Russia to Ukraine. In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Gerard Larcher discussed progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements and a possible meeting in the Normandy format in the near future," the statement said.

Zelenskyy and Larcher also discussed investment and humanitarian rehabilitation of Donbas as well as the possibility of creating a "dialogue commission" with the participation of parliamentarians of both countries, which will work on international projects.

The Normandy Four format was set up in June 2014 following the beginning of military conflict in eastern Ukraine. The format comprises Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, which joined their efforts to resolve the conflict. In 2015, the mediators managed to broker a ceasefire deal between the conflicting sides during negotiations in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. The so-called Minsk agreements, however, have been repeatedly violated since then, with both sides accusing each other of truce breaches.