the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky said that dialogue with Russia is, and it’s not only about the “Norman” format.
“We brought the sailors to the “channel” format. We returned to the ships, Russia is gone. So we are about to speak. I believe that the dialogue has begun,” — said Vladimir Zelensky in an interview to the editor of the Ninth Israeli TV channel Dmitry Dubov.
Ukrainian sailors, detained at the time of provocation in the Kerch Strait, returned home on September 7, when Moscow and Kiev held an exchange of detained persons by the formula “35 on 35”.
on December 9, at the summit in Paris, the leaders “channel four” (Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine) agreed on the exchange of prisoners in the Donbass before the New year. This was done on December 29. Kiev gave 124 people, the Donetsk and Luhansk gave the Ukrainian authorities 76. In the statement, which was circulated by the Russian foreign Ministry, noted: Moscow expects that in 2020, the parties will not only continue this practice, but will work on the implementation of the other provisions of the Minsk agreements.
December 31, – Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky welcomed the signing of the gas contract and exchange in the Donbass. At the end of the conversation, they made the decision to start negotiating a new list for the exchange of detained persons.
“about sailors, ships are relationships that are not associated with Minsk, not related to the “channel” format, this is a direct dialogue between me and the President of the Russian Federation… Or who can I solve them? I need to solve them with someone who decides everything there. This is the President of the Russian Federation”, — said the President.
Zelensky is in Israel on a working visit. He refused to come to the world forum of memory of Holocaust victims in Israel, explaining that conveyed his invitation, the witnesses of the tragedy who couldn’t get to the forum due to lack of seats.