Translated material
Negotiations to end the war in Donbass began in Minsk
Four-party talks on settling the conflict in Donbass have begun in Minsk. They are attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande. The meeting takes place at the Palace of Independence.
Before the start of the four-party talks, Poroshenko met with Hollande and Merkel. In addition, the Ukrainian President spoke with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. At this meeting, Poroshenko said : "The whole world is waiting, or the situation will go through de-escalation, ceasefire, withdrawal of weapons, or the situation will actually go haywire."
Russian President Vladimir Putin, French leader Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko started a round table discussion in one of the halls of the palace.
- On February 10, a meeting of the contact group on the settlement of the conflict in Donbass was held with the participation of representatives of Ukraine, the DPR, LPR, Russia and the OSCE. According to unofficial information, the meeting discussed a ceasefire in the conflict zone, the withdrawal of heavy weapons and the creation of a demilitarized zone, as well as the principles of self-government in the territories of eastern Ukraine.
- The Ukrainian media published a protocol on the political settlement of the conflict, which the DPR and LPR proposed for consideration by the contact group. This document, in particular, provides for a ceasefire from February 12, the withdrawal of heavy weapons and ensuring control over the truce by the OSCE.
- On February 5, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande met with Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv, and the next day with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Before the start of negotiations, Hollande said that, together with the German Chancellor, he had prepared a new plan for resolving the conflict in Donbass. The details of this plan remain unknown - Hollande limited himself to stating that it provides for the preservation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.