“This issue has not been removed [from the agenda] and remains intact. Our president has already discussed this with the leaders of the countries from the Normandy Group,” Bulegenov said.
“There is hope that in using the venues in Minsk and Astana we can help stop the bloodshed and find compromises,” the ambassador said.
The first talks in the Normandy format were held in June 2014 alongside D-Day commemorations in Normandy, France. The leaders of the Normandy Group countries had intended to meet in Astana to discuss Ukraine by the end of January. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a meeting would only be sought after a ceasefire between Kiev and independence supporters is properly implemented.
Despite the September 2014 Minsk ceasefire agreement, fighting in eastern Ukraine's Donbas has intensified in recent weeks, with many more civilians dying in military actions.
