RUSSIALINK: “Kremlin wants to ‘understand’ Ukrainian leader’s approach to conflict settlement” – Interfax

(Interfax – Dec. 1, 2019)

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has said that the expected meeting between Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris would be “very useful” for understanding the Ukrainian leader’s vision for the implementation of the east Ukraine conflict settlement plan known as the Minsk accords.

The meeting will “certainly be very useful because we very much like to understand how, after all the ambiguous, contradictory statements from Zelensky’s office, the Ukrainian leader himself sees the movement towards an implementation of the Minsk accords”, Dmitry Peskov told Rossiya 1 TV, as quoted by Interfax news agency on 1 December.

Putin and Zelensky are expected to meet on the sidelines of the so-called Normandy format summit in Paris on 9 December of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.

“It will not be a formal meeting because it will take place on the sidelines of another event, but there will be contact,” Peskov explained.

Peskov said Putin and Zelensky are likely to discuss the transit of Russian natural gas via Ukraine.

“There are issues that require a solution by the New Year, by 1 January. Specifically, natural gas matters. There are things to discuss,” Peskov said referring to the fact that the transit agreement between the two countries expires at the end of the year.

Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov has suggested, however, that Putin and Zelensky may not have a bilateral meeting at all.

“There is intention to hold such a bilateral meeting. However, a lot will depend on the schedule of the quartet’s work,” he told the Rossiya 1