MOSCOW, October 10. /TASS/. Normandy Format countries Germany and France as well as the United States are taking a more sober outlook at the situation in Ukraine on the whole and at Kiev’s unconstructive stance on the settlement in the east of the country, a senior Russian parliamentarian told Life Zvuk radio on Monday.
"There is a feeling that our partners in this format — I mean France and Germany, as well as the US, although it is not a part (of the Normandy Format) — start snapping back to reality, and come to realize more clearly and deeply problems in the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, that mostly come from Kiev, and not from Donetsk and Lugansk," Konstantin Kosachev said.
Kosachev, the chairman of the Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee, believes Normandy Format consultations could become "a real instrument of putting pressure on Ukraine." "It is still a long way off, the same as normalization of the Russian-Turkish relations, but the chance for it is growing each day that goes by as a day of missed opportunities for the implementation of the Minsk agreements," the politician said.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault earlier admitted that a Normandy Four summit could take place in Paris during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the French capital scheduled for October 19. However, French Foreign Ministry representative Olivier Gauvin said the meeting could take place in Berlin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, declined to confirm definitely that the date and the venue have been determined. "We will tell you when we are ready for this," he said.