The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, confirmed on Tuesday 25 January that a meeting of French, German, Russian and Ukrainian diplomatic advisors would be held on Wednesday 26 January in the Normandy format in Paris.
According to him, the holding of this technical meeting itself is “a step forward”. “This is the first time, in concrete terms, that there has been some form of positive technical progress, which I hope will enable us to move forward”, he explained at a hearing before the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, noting that the meetings of recent days had been political.
Mr Le Drian recalled that, at the Paris summit on 9 December 2019, the four leaders had agreed on a roadmap which covers a humanitarian aspect - including prisoner exchanges - and a political aspect, on the status of Donbass. “All of this is on the table, there needs to be political will on both sides to achieve this. There may be a breakthrough tomorrow”, he added.
Visiting Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the end of the day, French President Emmanuel Macron insisted on the need to continue the dialogue within the Normandy format. “We must never abandon a format of discussion and exchange”, he explained at a press conference with the Chancellor, while acknowledging that the results were not up to the level of the commitments and expectations placed on them. “But to give up and give in is to acknowledge that a political solution is no longer on the table”, he added.
Beyond the meeting of diplomatic advisers, Mr Macron mentioned the possibility of a meeting to be organised in Germany, without giving further details. He felt that the prospect of these meetings created positive expectations and re-engagement.
Speaking in front of the media, the President highlighted the unity of the two countries on the Ukrainian-Russian issue. “It is important to work together bilaterally, in the EU, in the OSCE, in NATO, it is an important task for us to move the issue forward. This also applies to the Normandy format where we have a common task to accomplish”, added Scholz.
The two leaders stressed the need for dialogue, while noting that Russian military aggression in Ukraine would have consequences and a high price for Russia. Asked about Germany’s refusal to supply arms to Ukraine, the Chancellor stressed that his country had always decided not to supply lethal weapons over recent years, but that Berlin was doing much to promote Ukraine's economic development and to help it.
The previous evening, Monday 24 January, the Presidents of the European Council, Charles Michel, the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the United States, Joe Biden, France, Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Polish President Andrzej Duda and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met to discuss current tensions on the Ukraine-Russia border and coordinated their response in the event of military aggression against Ukraine.
According to an EU source, at the meeting the leaders reiterated the importance of supporting Ukraine, engaging with Russia, continuing close cooperation and, finally, responding, if necessary, to Russian aggression with an unprecedented package of sanctions. They also agreed, according to this source, that the fundamental principles of European security were not up for renegotiation. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)