PARIS (Sputnik) – According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, his German and and French counterparts agree that all provisions of the Minsk peace deal must be implemented in the order specified in the agreement, namely the holding of local elections in Ukraine’s southeast first, followed by the introduction of a law on a permanent special status of Donbass (Ukraine’s southeast) and relevant constitutional reforms.
"We did not make any deep conclusions but simply confirmed the necessity of strict implementation of what had been agreed upon," Lavrov said after the Thursday talks, which lasted for four hours.
A group of four countries – dubbed "Normandy Four" after their leaders met during WWII Normandy landings' anniversary celebrations in northern France – has been holding regular meetings on the Ukrainian conflict since June 2014.
DIFFICULT DISCUSSION
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after the Paris talks that he meeting was "one of the most difficult" held by Normandy Four foreign ministers and that he was not satisfied either with the current situation in Ukraine or the Thursday talks.
According to Steinmeier, serious differences remain in the positions of the conflicting sides in Ukraine.
Meanwhile France’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that the talks were "direct" and led to some progress on a number of issues.
Ayrault said that certain goals have been set and a calendar has been drafted for their implementation in the coming weeks, in the Normandy Format.
DONBASS ELECTIONS IN THE AIR
There has been no progress on the issue of holding local elections in Ukraine’s self-proclaimed republics of the southeast, Lavrov said after the Paris talks.
"We talked about the elections [in Donbass] as the next step, in the context of all that is necessary for their implementation," Lavrov told journalists, stressing that "on the main issue – the preparation of elections – there has been no progress yet."
French Foreign Minister Ayrault said that local elections in Ukraine’s southeast must be held in the first half of 2016.
According to Lavrov, Normandy Four foreign ministers suggested that Donbass elections should be held in June-July 2016, but no firm consensus was reached on the issue because the Ukrainian side requested not to insist on any timeframe.
Steinmeier said there is no progress on the political process in Ukraine, particularly on local elections in the southeast.
KIEV-DONBASS DIALOGUE NONEXISTENT
The key to the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict is direct dialogue between Kiev and the self-proclaimed republics of the country’s southeast, Lavrov said after the Thursday meeting, stressing that there is still no such dialogue because Ukrainian authorities are unwilling to hold it.
"I want to make a general conclusion – over the course of today’s talks we drew attention to the fact that the key pillar of the entire Minsk [peace] process is direct dialogue between Kiev and Donbass [Ukraine’s southeast]," Lavrov said after a meeting of Normandy Four foreign ministers in Paris.
The Russian foreign minister stressed that dialogue remains crucial to achieving progress in all aspects of Ukrainian conflict resolution, particularly security.
"Unfortunately, there is no such direct dialogue yet, first of all, because of Kiev’s unwillingness to engage in it," Lavrov said.
According to the Minsk peace deal, constitutional reforms to be implemented in Ukraine must be discussed directly with the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics in the southeast.
SHAKY SECURITY
Lavrov told journalists that the four-hour Paris talks were largely dedicated to security in Ukraine.
"A lot of time was spent today on the discussion of the situation in the sphere of security, how decisions, including those adopted in addition to the Minsk [peace agreement] are being implemented," Lavrov said.
Steinmeier said that ceasefire violations continue in Ukraine, particularly on the line of contact between the conflicting sides. The German foreign minister stressed that the process of weaponry withdrawal, stipulated by the Minsk peace deal, must continue in Ukraine’s southeast.
France’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which is tasked with monitoring the situation in Ukraine, must receive concrete proposals on ensuring security in Ukraine’s southeast during local elections by March 31.
Klimkin wrote on Twitter after the Thursday talks in Paris that the ministers did not agree on any conclusions but that Ukraine’s position maintains its focus on security.
According to Lavrov, the leaders of the Normandy Four countries could hold telephone talks on the situation in Ukraine in the near future.
