"Perhaps the talks between presidents Trump and Putin may open new prospects, it would be possible to talk about potential security guarantees for Ukraine that would be even more reliable than the ones from 1994, without the country acceding to NATO the day after tomorrow. There are no limits for creative politics," Ischinger, who previously served as a German ambassador to the United States, said, stressing that the conflict in eastern Ukraine was exacerbated by Kiev’s eagerness to join NATO.
Ischinger urged Trump to ask Putin for inclusion of the US state secretary or the vice president in the Normandy format talks on Ukraine.
The eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk have been in turmoil since April 2014, when authorities in Kiev launched a military operation against Donbas militia. In February 2015, the conflicting sides agreed to a ceasefire after talks brokered by the Normandy format. Both sides, however, have consistently accused each other of violating the ceasefire terms.
The Munich Security Conference is an annual major global forum founded in 1963 and devoted to the discussion of security issues, which brings together hundreds of decision-makers from all over the world, state leaders, ministers, NGO, industry, media and academia representatives. This year the event will take place on February 17-19.
