MARIUPOL, Donetsk region. Oct 29 (Interfax) - While the disengagement process in the village of Zolote in Donbas should advance a meeting between the leaders of the countries engaged in the Normandy-format talks, the main objective is not this meeting as such but a sustainable ceasefire in Donbas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"I think a Normandy-format summit is much closer now," Zelensky told Interfax following an investment forum in Mariupol on Tuesday.
The main goal of any disengagement process is reducing the scope of gunfire, he said.
"Nobody is seeking to hold a Normandy-format [summit] as soon as tomorrow. The Normandy format is yet another opportunity. That is, it implies several more steps toward ensuring a real ceasefire, not just in words, but in reality," he said.
Kyiv agrees to withdraw its forces where this would be safe, Zelensky said. "We are not withdrawing them where we cannot do so and where it's too dangerous. We need to talk about some other steps. Therefore, everything should go step by step," he said.