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NORMANDY FOUR SUMMIT

No talks held with US on expanding Normandy Four group, says Russian diplomat

The Normandy Four summit, which took place in Paris on December 9, involved French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky

GENEVA, December 12. /TASS/. Moscow is not in talks with Washington on expanding the Normandy Four group, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said in an interview with TASS.

"We haven’t contacted the US in this regard. No one has officially spoken to us about including the US in the Normandy group and the Minsk Contact Group," he said in response to a question. "We have heard some sideways remarks and interviews by US State Department officials, who hinted that some consultations were underway. However, it’s not true," Rudenko added.

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Kiev will prepare proposals on amending Minsk Agreements by next Normandy Four summit

"We are not in consultations with the US about its participation. A decision on expanding the group should be made by all of its members, but there is no consensus yet," the Russian diplomat pointed out.

The Normandy Four summit, which took place in Paris on December 9, involved French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. The four leaders confirmed that the group continued to be guided by the Minsk Agreements. They also agreed to hold the next meeting in four months. Until then, a number of steps are expected to be taken towards resolving the Donbass conflict.

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty came into force on April 20, 1994 to herald the emergence what would eventually become the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

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