Yermak meets with German defence minister to discuss ways to achieve peace in Donbas

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer discussed security and humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine.

They met during a visit of the Ukrainian delegation to Berlin on June 2, the press service of the President's Office reported.

"The ceasefire is a key condition for the further disengagement of forces and mine clearance," Yermak said.

He emphasized that in order to speed up progress towards peace, it is necessary, first of all, to ensure the implementation of the agreements reached by the Normandy Four leaders during the Paris summit in December, in particular the full and comprehensive implementation of the ceasefire.

Yermak noted that the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine must have full freedom of movement, which has recently been blocked by illegal armed formations.

The parties discussed the possibility of deepening cooperation between Ukraine and NATO, as well as issues of bilateral interaction.

The German defence minister noted that Ukraine is a friend of Germany. According to her, Berlin supports Ukraine on the path to peace and does not recognize the occupation of Ukrainian territories – Donbas and Crimea, because this is a flagrant violation of international law.

She emphasized that normalization of relations with Russia is possible only after the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Germany also supports Ukraine’s initiative to intensify the Minsk talks and expects to continue negotiations in the Normandy format. "Germany is ready to continue to assist in the implementation of reforms in Ukraine," the minister noted.

In addition, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer accepted the invitation from her Ukrainian counterpart, Andriy Taran, to visit Ukraine.

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