“This morning Laurent Fabius said during an interview on France Inter radio station that he would most likely leave for Minsk for the talks on Ukraine. I can confirm that today he will accompany French President Francois Hollande to Minsk,” the diplomatic source said.
German Foreign Minister Steinmeier will also visit Belarusian capital Wednesday, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters.
"The Chancellor will fly to Minsk with Minister Steinmeier," Seibert said.
The talks are expected to be held in the so-called Normandy Format, comprising Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko, France's Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The leaders will discuss a way out of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. Few details are known about the proposed peace deal on the table in Minsk. It would involve a wide demilitarized zone along a disengagement line to prevent artillery attacks, and establishing a lasting dialogue between Kiev and Ukraine's two southeastern republics, a source familiar with the talks told RIA Novosti.
While Russia, Germany and France are calling for a political solution to the Ukraine crisis, the United States and some European countries are considering sending lethal aid to Kiev authorities. Putin, Merkel and Hollande spoke against the move as it might escalate the Ukraine conflict that has already claimed lives of more than 5,400 people since April 2014.
