Arestovych says Russia ready to discuss 'Kravchuk's plan'

The Russian side is ready to negotiate a Ukrainian action plan to achieve peace in Donbas, according to Oleksii Arestovych, an adviser of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG).

"If an agreement was reached on a meeting, then, apparently, it means that Russia is ready to consider it [the plan]. By the way, it considered it at a general meeting and at a meeting of political subgroups. That means they are ready to talk," he told the Ukraine 24 television channel.

According to him, Russia stated in advance that this plan violates the Minsk agreements, just in case. But during the talks between political advisers, Germany and France supported the Ukrainian plan and said it was in line with the implementation of the Minsk agreements and provided an opportunity to implement them, Arestovych said.

The head of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG, Ukraine's first president Leonid Kravchuk, said earlier that Ukraine had prepared a "Joint Steps Plan" for the Trilateral Contact Group, which contains a proposal to completely end the conflict and demilitarize occupied Donbas so as to create conditions for holding local elections there on March 31, 2021.

The action plan prepared by the Ukrainian side to achieve peace in Donbas was discussed during a videoconference of advisers to the leaders of the Normandy Four countries on November 13.

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