Ukraine's Zelenskyy Holds Meeting In Donbas To Discuss Progress Of Normandy Agreements

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th September, 2020) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a meeting in the eastern Donetsk region with military and government officials to discuss the implementation progress of the agreements reached by the Normandy four leaders and the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), his press service said on Saturday.

"The parties discussed the implementation of the agreements reached in Paris during the meeting of the leaders of the Normandy Four last December, as well as the problems that hinder the implementation of these agreements. It was noted that the regime of comprehensive and permanent ceasefire is an undeniable success on the way to peace in Donbas," the presidential press service said.

The mutual pullout of forces, ceasefire, demining and the possibility of opening more checkpoints in Ukraine's eastern breakaway Donbas region � composed of Donetsk and Luhansk � were discussed in particular, according to the press release.

Andriy Yermak, the head of the president's office, has called on the TCG members to make their meetings weekly.

"There is no point in delaying the negotiation process," Yermak said, as quoted in the press release, going on to urge more Ukrainian politicians to visit Donbas and communicate with the local military and civilian residents.

Aside from Yermak, the meeting was attended by his deputy Roman Mashovets,� First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Ruslan Demchenko, Army Commander-in-Chief Ruslan Khomchak, Defense Minister Andriy Taran, the Defense Ministry's Chief for Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, Borders Chief Serhiy Deyneko, senior Foreign Ministry official Andriy Plakhotniuk, Deputy Head of the Ukrainian TCG Delegation Oleksandr Merezhko and representatives of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.

The conflict in Ukraine began in 2014 when the army launched an offensive against Donbas after Donetsk and Luhansk proclaimed independence from Kiev. Their decision came in response to what they considered to have been a coup in the Ukrainian capital that toppled the old government in February of that year.