Luhansk Questions Efficiency of 'Normandy Format' Talks on Ukraine

MOSCOW, January 10 (Sputnik) — The efficiency of the "Normandy format" talks on reconciliation of the Ukrainian crisis, which does not include the country's pro-independence forces, is doubtful, the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic negotiator Vladislav Deinego said Saturday.

On Friday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister said that the next meeting of Russian, Ukrainian, German and French foreign ministers on the internal armed conflict in Ukraine in the so-called "Normandy format" will take place on January 12. Earlier this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that four-way "Normandy format" meeting of foreign ministers may soon be held in Kazakhstan's capital Astana.

"The efficiency of such [Normandy format] talks separately from the Minsk format is doubtful, since one of the conflict's sides, representatives of the People's republics, will be removed from talks on the reconciliation of the conflict, which rules out the possibility of searching for a reasonable compromise," Deinego told journalists.

International negotiations on the Ukrainian crisis have been held in various formats. In June 2014, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France met in northern France, establishing the "Normandy" format of talks. In September, Belarus capital Minsk hosted two rounds of talks of the Contact Group on Ukraine, which includes representatives from Kiev, Moscow, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.

The Minsk talks resulted in signing of a ceasefire agreement by both sides of the Ukrainian conflict. However, Kiev and independence supporters have since routinely accused each another of breaching the truce.