WASHINGTON, September 2. /TASS/. The United States fully supports the Normandy format and the settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine on the principles of international law, according to a joint statement on the US-Ukraine strategic partnership adopted on Wednesday after talks in Washington between Presidents Joe Biden and the United States and Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine.
The United States "reaffirms its full support for international efforts, including in the Normandy Format, aimed at negotiating a diplomatic resolution to the <…> conflict in eastern Ukraine on the basis of international law, including the UN Charter," the statement says.
As a matter of fact, the statement alleges that Russia is responsible for the continuation of the conflict in Donbass. "Together, we call on Russia to recommit to the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and engage genuinely in conflict resolution efforts to end the war," the document reads.
Apart from that, the United States reiterated that it will not recognize Crimea’s reunification with Russia and expressed support for the Crimean Platform format set up by Kiev in a bid to realize its claims to the peninsula.
Normandy format and Minsk accords
Talks in the so-called Normandy format over Ukraine began to be held in June 2014. During special ceremonies on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the allied landings in Normandy during World War II, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany for the first time discussed ways of settling the conflict in Donbass. A number of telephone conversations and summit meetings, as well as contacts between foreign ministers, have been held since then. The latest summit in the Normandy format was held in Paris in December 2019. In the recent months, talks have been held at levels of political adviser and foreign ministers.
Zelensky has repeatedly spoken in favor of either involving the United States in the Normandy-format talks or establishing an alternative format with Washington’s participation. The US side however has not yet confirmed its support for this initiative.
A peace settlement of the conflict in Donbass rests on the Package of Measures, known as Minsk-2, that was signed by the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine comprising senior representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the European security watchdog OSCE on February 12, 2015, after 16-hour marathon talks between the leaders of the Normandy Four nations, namely Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine. The 13-point document envisages a ceasefire between Ukrainian government forces and the people’s militias in the self-proclaimed republics in Donetsk and Lugansk and the subsequent withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of contact. The deal also lays out a roadmap for a lasting settlement in Ukraine, including amnesty, prisoner swaps, resumption of economic ties, local elections and constitutional reform to give more autonomy to the war-torn eastern regions.
The plan has remained unimplemented to this day, largely due to Ukraine’s stance. Kiev keeps on refusing to act on the political items of the agreement.
Russia has repeatedly confirmed its commitment to the 2015 Minsk agreements as a basis for the conflict settlement, which has no alternatives. It has repeatedly stressed that it is not a party to the conflict in Donbass and has been calling for the implementation of the Minsk accords it signed as a mediator of the peace settlement process.