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Ukraine’s Zelensky says wants meaningful result from meeting with Putin

On December 9, leaders of the Normandy Four group comprising Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France will hold a summit in Paris to look for solutions to the conflict in Donbass

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky Pyotr Sivkov/TASS

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky

© Pyotr Sivkov/TASS

KIEV, December 6. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is scheduled to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Normandy Four summit in Paris on December 9, Zelensky confirmed in a televised interview on the Ukraine channel on Friday.

"Yes, all the presidents will have bilateral meetings," he said when asked if the Russian and Ukrainian presidents would hold bilateral talks.

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Zelensky seeks to coordinate Donbass settlement timeframe at Normandy Four summit

Zelensky said that he "wants to come back with meaningful results" from Paris and bring to Ukraine "the comprehension and understanding that all [the negotiators] seek to eventually put an end to this tragic war."

"I want a result and the only thing I am worried about is that we will meet and say, ‘We are planning…," he said. "I dislike a lack of results. The only thing I am nervous about is that I do not like the lack of results at the talks. It is the only thing I fear," he added when asked if he feels some fear ahead of the meeting.

The Ukrainian president pointed out that he could see Russia’s determination to hold dialogue, which could be proven by a recent prisoner swap and the return to Ukraine of warships detained by Russia in the incident in the Kerch Strait.

"It was a signal and I see that Russia is ready for dialogue," the Ukrainian president said.

Zelensky said that he expects "meaningful results" from the Paris talks. He admitted that "everything cannot be achieved" at the Paris summit, but dubbed as "a victory" the fact that the talks would take place.

On December 9, leaders of the Normandy Four group comprising Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France will hold a summit in Paris to look for solutions to the conflict in Donbass.

The first talks of the Normandy Four group took place in France in June 2014 amid commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the landing of allied troops in Normandy. Then the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany met for the first time to find a solution to the conflict in the southeast Ukrainian region of Donbass. Since then, the Normandy Four has held a series of phone talks and summit meetings, along with meetings of foreign ministers and other officials. The latest Normandy Four summit took place in Berlin in October 2016.

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