PARIS, October 2. /TASS/.The success of the Paris summit on Friday in the Normandy format - Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France - depends primarily on Kiev’s stance, a source in the French presidential palace has said.
"Mass media often discuss Russia’s position, but one should acknowledge that the success of the upcoming meeting in Paris largely depends also on the stance of Ukraine and President Petro Poroshenko personally as he faces huge pressure in Kiev," the source in the Elysee Palace said.
The Paris summit organizers say "Poroshenko needs to give new arguments so that he could convince his parliamentary majority in the Verkhovna Rada to intensify the political process as part of the Minsk deal."
One of the goals of the talks will be to ensure the autonomy status for the war-torn Donbass region while preserving Ukraine’s sovereignty, a high-ranking French diplomat said.
The Normandy Four leaders will have a rich agenda in the French capital on Friday. The one-on-one meeting of the Russian and French leaders will open the work program, the Elysee Palace said. Apart from the Ukrainian crisis, Francois Hollande expects to discuss with Vladimir Putin bilateral ties and the situation in Syria.