BERLIN (Sputnik) — Earlier this month, a number of officials from the concerned states, such as French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and Russia's presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, said that the next meeting of the Normandy Quartet leaders could be held on October 19. However, as the anticipated date was approaching, the meeting has not been officially confirmed.
"As for next week, I cannot say anything yet because I first need to wait for news from the currently ongoing working-level negotiations. So, we are leaving this open, but we have not decided yet," Merkel told reporters.
Earlier on Friday, the German Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Berlin was preparing for the meeting "on a daily basis" despite no exact date being named.
The Normandy Four, which comprises Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany, was created in 2014 to secure a peaceful settlement to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The group has held several rounds of talks on Ukrainian reconciliation, most notably in February when the quartet's leaders brokered a ceasefire deal in Minsk, Belarus, signed by Kiev and the Donbas militia.
