Russia - Q&A - (18 Nov. 2021)

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Q: Do you have any comment on Russia’s publication of confidential notes by Ministers Le Drian and Haas on efforts to relaunch the Normandy Format?

A: We are cognizant of Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov’s decision to make our correspondence public. We consider this a breach of diplomatic rules and customs. Germany and France have been working for months on the continuation of negotiations and the implementation of a concrete agenda to foster peace on the basis of the Minsk Agreement, making several concrete proposals for a ministerial meeting in the Normandy Format as agreed to by Chancellor Merkel, President Macron and President Putin in October. Russia has refused to take part in such a meeting. We urge Russia to return to the negotiating table and to pursue discussions in the approved formats and based on the agreed-upon principles.

Q: On Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry published diplomatic correspondence between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his German and French counterparts. Can you comment on that?
As for the content of the messages, I would like to ask you to clarify: what are the proposals in the Russian initiative to issue a joint statement by the foreign ministers that you believe largely exceed the jurisdiction of the Normandy Format? I would also like to understand why, according to your message to the Russian minister, the proposal to establish a direct dialogue between Kiev and the leaders of the Donbas Republics “will not find support among the Normandy Format countries”?
Do you think Ukraine is fully enforcing its portion of the agreements reached at the Paris summit?

A: I refer you to my previous answer.