NOVO-OGARYOVO, October 17. /TASS/. Russia is still committed to the Minsk agreements on the Ukrainian settlement but there is little chance for a meeting between the Normandy Four leader on October 19, Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
"Taking into account that the matter is not yet clear and the work at the level of presidential aides has yielded not positive results as of yet, the chances [for a Normandy Four summit on October 19] are next to nil," Peskov told journalists when asked whether such a meeting is possible on October 19.
"There is too little time left [before October 19] but there is no clarity," he said, repeating that there is little chance for this summit.
"Nevertheless, the work is continued. The Russian side is committed to the Minsk agreements and is ready to spare no effort to have them implemented," the Kremlin spokesman stressed.
The Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine comprising senior representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the European security watchdog OSCE on February 12, 2015, signed a 13-point Package of Measures to fulfil the September 2014 Minsk agreements. The package was agreed with the leaders of the Normandy Four, namely Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine.
The Package of Measures, known as Minsk-2, envisaged a ceasefire between Ukrainian government forces and people’s militias in the self-proclaimed republics in Donetsk and Lugansk starting from February 15 and subsequent withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of engagement. The deal also laid out a roadmap for a lasting settlement in Ukraine, including local elections and constitutional reform to give more autonomy to the war-torn eastern regions.