The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is called "the right step" extension of the Ukrainian delegation at the negotiations of the contact group on settling the situation in Donbas and stated that it expects similar steps from the Russian side.
"We really, I think, made a very right move (talking about the extension of the delegation – approx. TASS), we are supported in this by Germany and France. I would also like to this format joined Russia. Why – because we want everything to be very fast to people who are at the meetings of the contact group, could make decisions so they had the status, the status of the state", – said to journalists on Friday Zelensky.
Tuesday Zelensky approved the extended composition of the Ukrainian delegation in the contact group. The head of delegation and his Deputy can now determine the Deputy representative of Ukraine in the working groups and to involve deputies of the Verkhovna Rada, representatives of state authorities, advisers, experts and technical workers.
The delegation continues to be led by ex-President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma. The composition, according to the decree, also includes Deputy Prime Minister for reintegration of the uncontrolled territories of Donbass Alexey Reznikov (the first Deputy head of the delegation), head of the Parliament Committee on foreign Affairs and inter-parliamentary cooperation Oleksandr Merezhko (Deputy head of delegation), Deputy Minister of economic development, trade and agriculture Yulia Sviridenko (representative of the sub-group on socio-economic issues), head of the Rada Committee on legal policy Andrey Kostin (representative in the subgroup of political Affairs), Deputy Minister of defense Oleksandr Polishchuk (representative of the subgroup on safety), the head of the Rada Committee on social policy Galina Tretyakova (representative in the humanitarian sub-group).
