It is known that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on behalf of the Russian side, put forward three basic conditions for a summit of the Norman Four leaders.
The first is the signing of the “Steinmeier formula” in the Minsk contact group. The second is the breeding of the parties from the contact line in the agreed areas. The third is preliminary approval of the content of the summit’s final document.
The Ukrainian side, represented by Leonid Kuchma, at a meeting of the Contact Group in Minsk after the September 18 demarche, tried to block the signing of the “Steinmeier formula” again.
However, in the end, the arguments of Donbass and Russia as a mediator turned out to be more substantial and the Ukrainian side today was forced to agree and fix the Steinmeier formula in an official document.
Now that the conditions of the Russian side are fulfilled, we can begin to resolve the issue with the parties withdrawing and begin to prepare for the summit of the heads of state of the “Norman Four”.
It can take place at a time convenient for its participants.
Also, French President Macron earlier confirmed the readiness to hold a meeting in the “Norman format” in the coming weeks and called for the application of “Steinmeier’s formula”.