Ukrainian delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Reznikov on Tuesday visited Berlin on a working visit. The main points on the agenda of relations with Russia and the settlement in the Donbass. The resumption of diplomatic activity in Kiev, interrupted by a pandemic occurs in the conditions, when the negotiations on the Donbas in Minsk has finally come to a standstill. Now Kiev offers to negotiate in “Budapest format” — with participation of the USA and the UK, but without Russia. The Ukrainian side took an even stricter stance than the one that was under President Petro Poroshenko: Kiev urged the EU to strengthen sanctions against Russia and to impose an embargo on supplies of Russian energy.A one-day visit of high-ranking Ukrainian delegation to Berlin, he returned to the foreign policy agenda of Kiev’s relations with the EU and Russia, as well as the settlement in the Donbass. Taking advantage of the opportunity to renew personal contacts in the German capital landed a large diplomatic mission. In its structure included the Deputy Prime Minister for reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories Oleksiy Reznikov, head of the foreign Ministry and the defense Ministry Dmitry Kuleba and Andrei Taran, head of the office of the President Andrey Ermak and his Deputy Igor Zhovkva.Despite such impressive delegation before and during the visit in fact was the soloist Oleksii Reznikov, who also has the powers of the first Deputy head of the delegation of Ukraine in the Tripartite contact group on settlement in Donbass. He owns the largest number of loud statements against Russia, which are not inferior, and sometimes superior to the rhetoric of previous President Petro Poroshenko.”Ukraine today his blood pays the rest of Europe. In fact, the war is not in Eastern Ukraine, the war goes on in Eastern Europe. Therefore, we encourage and invite our Western partners that let’s review the Budapest Memorandum, will give it a rating, candid, honest, looking each other in eyes and we will think what to do next,” said Mr. Reznikov before flying to Berlin in the program “Svoboda words” on ICTV.Confirmation that one of the tasks of the Ukrainian delegation to Berlin will be probing the soil over the possibility of extending negotiations on the Donbass by connecting to them the US and the UK, who in 1994 along with Russia signed the Budapest Memorandum on security assurances of Ukraine, was the article Alexei Reznikov on the website of the Atlantic Council (a research centre, operating under the aegis of NATO). “We must now consider a return to Budapest format. At first, consultations must be held without Russia’s participation, given that FR.and abandoned its status of the guarantor to become an occupying force,”— said Deputy Prime Minister Reznikov, according to which “the Budapest format will eventually allow for a new interaction with the Kremlin.””Any country has the right to meet with those with whom she wants. Ukraine is not an exception. But no relation to Russia and resolving the conflict in the South-East, it has not. Accordingly, and prospects too. Another attempt to simulate the activity instead of to engage seriously in the implementation of the Minsk agreements in the dialogue with the Donbas,”— said “RIA Novosti” the proposal to transition to “Budapest format” talks, a source in the foreign Ministry.”The proposal to postpone the discussion of the conflict in the Donbass in the framework of “Budapest” format were made by the representatives of various political forces in Kiev before. Before the advent of the “Servants of the people” and President Vladimir Zelensky stated this many times and former foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and policies of the first level, such as Yulia Tymoshenko. Thus, we see continuity in the policy of the former authorities,”— commented “b” proposal of Kiev, the expert of the Russian Council on international Affairs Alexander Gushchin.”Despite all the previous initiatives, the process of settlement has virtually stopped. Within the country, especially in the elites there is a consensus regarding the impossibility of concessions and compromises. In addition to unproductive discussions concerning the boundaries, to the main issue — the problem of the special status of Donbass — Ukraine has not started yet”,— continues Alexander Gushchin. In addition, according to the expert, for the greater part of the electorate of the President Zelensky top priority remains social issues and the problems of overcoming the consequences of the epidemic of the coronavirus is worried voters more than the implementation of Donbass.The basis for the settlement in the Donbass remain the Minsk agreement, agreed “channel four” (Germany, France, Ukraine, Russia) and signed in February 2015 in Minsk the contact group consisting of representatives of Ukraine, Russia, OSCE, as well as the unrecognized DND and LNR. Since the signing of the parties have been unable to advance in the implementation of the Minsk agreements. An attempt to revive the peace process have been taken on the ground over the past three years the summit of the leaders of “Norman Quartet”, which was held in December last year in Paris. By the end the participants of the meeting adopted a joint communiqué, agreeing to meet after four months in Berlin to continue work on the settlement in Donbass. They confirmed that the Minsk agreements remain the basis for the settlement, in which as the primary steps shouldbut to be a dilution of forces and creation of conditions for observance of the cease-fire.However, the past month was for the Trilateral contact group (TAG) the most futile and the most scandalous in her entire six-year history. The situation severely aggravated the offer of Kiev to enter in the group of migrants from Donbass instead of representatives of the DNI and LC. After that, the questions of the withdrawal of forces, clearance, special status for separate districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions (ORDO — includes the unrecognized DND and LNR) have faded into the background. At last week’s meeting, four subgroups of the TAG was completely ripped off. “Even the exchange of documents could not fully take place, although this is an established procedure,” said Russian envoy to the TAG Boris Gryzlov.Meanwhile, in Berlin, the Ukrainian delegation reiterated its unwillingness to continue to see at the negotiating table representatives of the DNI and LC. “We have confirmed a key position on the inadmissibility of direct dialogue with representatives of the so-called DNR and LNR. We talk in the pipeline with Russia. Informed about our vision on boundaries and on maps specifically fingers showed where what happens to our colleagues understood that the side we oppose the Russian commanders and not Donetsk or Lugansk”,— told about the talks in Berlin, the head of the foreign Ministry of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba.But at a joint press conference with the foreign Minister of Germany Heiko Maas, the head of the Ukrainian diplomacy said about the alleged agreement to be held in the near future the new talks of the foreign Ministers of “Norman Quartet.” “Nothing not yet been agreed. It is the desire of the Ukrainian side”,— said “Kommersant” the statement of Dmitry Kuleba a source in the Russian government structures close to the negotiations.In General, the visit of the Ukrainian delegation to Berlin took place against the backdrop of tough rhetoric against Moscow, which was sometimes even more radical than the President Poroshenko. In addition to the proposals to strengthen sanctions against Russia one more time was made Deputy Prime Minister Reznikov proposal to introduce the EU embargo on supplies of Russian energy. Kept pace with him and Dmytro Kuleba, said that Kiev is not going to help Moscow to solve problems with water supply of the Crimea.Sergey Strokan, Vladimir Solovyov
