KYIV. June 18 (Interfax) - A Normandy-format summit convened for the sole purpose of stating the lack of progress in the implementation of earlier agreements would be pointless, according to deputy chief of the Ukrainian presidential administration Ihor Zhovkva.
"Berlin is set to arrange the next summit in the Normandy format, but nobody needs a summit as an end in itself. It is possible to visit Berlin or to organize a videoconference of the leaders any time, but not for the purpose of stating the lack of results," Zhovkva said in an exclusive interview with Interfax.
According to Zhovkva, a Ukrainian representative delegation went to Berlin on June 2 in order to coordinate its stance with Germany and to discuss how to boost the Minsk process and the work done in the Normandy format.
"We went there, being fully aware of the situation that emerged after the Normandy-format summit in Paris on December 9, 2019. Most of the agreements reached at that summit have yet to be fulfilled," he said.
"There is no doubt that the mutual release of captives was a positive thing although the all-for-all principle was not implemented. We are carrying on those talks," Zhovkva said.
"Agreements regarding an unconditional ceasefire, new disengagement areas, and access of humanitarian organizations to the occupied territories have not been fulfilled so far. Besides, the OSCE SMM has no access to the uncontrolled territory at the moment," he said.
Zhovkva noted that Germany heard and supported the Ukrainian approach, which was confirmed, in particular, by German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call on June 5.
A Ukrainian delegation visited Paris for the same reason on June 12 to coordinate its stance with another Normandy-format partner, Zhovkva said.