Poroshenko hopes for strengthening EU’s role in de-occupation of Crimea and Donbas

Ukraine hopes that the European Union will strengthen its leading role in the process of peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas and support Ukraine's international initiatives for the de-occupation of Crimea.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said this while opening a plenary meeting of the 19th Ukraine-EU summit in Kyiv on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We hope for further strengthening of the European Union’s leading role in the process of peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas and support for Ukraine's international initiatives for the de-occupation of Crimea," he said.

The President noted that the Normandy format, where France and Germany represent the entire EU, "is now the only important tool for ensuring de-escalation of the conflict and withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine."

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