"Russian President Vladimir Putin will head today for the Minsk meeting for talks on Ukrainian conflict in the Normandy format," the statement said.
Ukrainian reconciliation talks have been conducted in various formats, but none of them has led to a long-term truce in eastern Ukraine. In the wake of intensified clashed in eastern Ukraine, international mediators have big hopes for the Wednesday meeting.
Vladimir Putin will take part in the Normandy format talks in Minsk http://t.co/ElTflXgC9m
— President of Russia (@KremlinRussia_E) 11 февраля 2015
Currently, a Contact Group comprising representatives from Kiev, the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) are working on a peace plan in Minsk.
However, the ceasefire has been repeatedly violated, with Kiev government and eastern Ukrainian independence supporters trading the blame for shelling and civilian casualties. The military confrontation has claimed the lives of over 5,400 people and left almost 13,000 injured since April 2014, according to the most recent UN estimates.
