The settlement of the conflict in the Donbas is in a dead end. This is the only conclusion that can be drawn in the first of this year’s negotiations, “Norman Quartet” at the level of the foreign Ministers of Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France. The participants stated: most of the decisions of last year’s summit in Paris was not performed. So, a new meeting of the leaders of the countries—participants of the “Normandy format” to call does not make sense.The predictions that one should not expect big breakthroughs from the talks of the foreign Ministers “channel four”, scheduled for April 30 in the video were fully justified. “We stated that of the nine paragraphs of the outcome document of the Paris summit “Norman format” is executed, and then only partially, only the one referring to the exchange of detainees. Was held in December and April, the two exchanges, during which a total of 230 people were exchanged between Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk”,— told reporters the Russian foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.After that, he reported on undone work. Breeding efforts and resources on three new sites — December 9 in Paris, the leaders of the “Quartet” agreed to implement it before the end of March — never happened. The truce is not respected.No, according to Sergei Lavrov, progress and to incorporate into Ukrainian law “formula Steinmeier” (bears the name of its proposed ex-foreign Minister of Germany, now President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier; involves the entry into force of the law on the special status of Donbass after the elections, if the OSCE recognizes them as free and fair). Finally, still not agreed on the legal aspects of the special status of separate districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions within Ukraine.”Unfortunately, here is nothing to boast. The Kiev authorities while evading direct dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk, and it is in such a direct dialogue is necessary to coordinate all legal aspects to ensure that special status on a permanent basis”,— said the head of the Russian foreign Ministry.Mine action mine-sown areas in the conflict zone and the opening of new crossing points along the contact line the situation is the same — there is no progress.Since Moscow insists that to convene a new summit “Norman” makes sense only after the implementation of the steps agreed at the Paris meeting, the prospects of that in the foreseeable future, the topic of Donbass will rise to the level of the leaders of the four countries, unclear.Ukrainian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Dmitry Kuleba in a deadlock blames Russia. According to him, the implementation of the Paris decisions is hampered by the reluctance of Moscow to fulfill its part of the agreements, quoted the head of the MFA of Ukraine “European truth”. Despite the lack of progress, Dmitri�� Kuleba assured that, despite everything, talks about a new summit continues: “Another Russia we have, we need her to engage in dialogue”. Commenting on this, Mr. Kuleba repeated known not just marked the position of Kiev: “Ukraine ready to talk with the Ukrainians in the occupied territories, moreover, we want this. But we should not speak with those illegal formations that are not competent properly to represent the interests of Ukrainians from the occupied territories”.In other words, the authorities of the unrecognized republics of the Donbass in Ukraine are not party to the negotiations. In Kiev, according to Dmitry Kuleba, such believe Russia: “There is a tripartite liaison group comprising Russia as an aggressor state, Ukraine, which is protected from the aggression, and the OSCE as a mediator, remain the key mechanism for finding mutually acceptable solutions to end the war and the de-occupation”.Knowing about the content of negotiations of Ministers of the interlocutor of Kommersant with the Russian side confirmed that “the Ukrainian side has been sharpened the fact that Moscow is carrying out in Donbass effective control”, which means that all the questions for her. But Mr. Lavrov, according to him, said in reply that Russia is not a party to the conflict and “should not try to imagine.” “It is advised to read the Minsk agreement, in which everything is spelled out. And not to drag in the “Normandy format” questions that can be addressed in the contact group”,— said the source.Another line, which promoted the Russian negotiators at the level of the Ministry of foreign Affairs, and Deputy head of the presidential administration Dmitry Kozak, is the need to develop regulations for the work of the trilateral contact group and the introduction of the practice of recording the agreements in the minutes of the meetings and their subsequent publication. The idea here is not only that, through the publication of trade-offs to achieve them. In the preparation of documents this way would be strange to call Russia a party to the conflict, since their signatures would bind the representatives of Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk.The first such Protocol was signed after the meeting of the contact group held on 11 March. Along with representatives of the OSCE and the Russian Federation the document was signed by the former President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma and officials of the DNR and LNR Natalia Nikonorova and Vladislav Danego. Apparently, the Ukrainian side only then realized what a political meaning is this technical at first glance, the nuance. Anyway, the next meeting of the contact group ended without the signing of the protocols by the representatives of Kiev.Vladimir Solovyov
