Ukraine’s 1st prime minister Vitold Fokin to join Trilateral Contact Group

As Zelensky told journalists during a visit to Donbas, 1st Ukrainian president (1991-1994) Leonid Kravchuk, 1st Prime Minister of Ukraine (1990-1992) Vitold Fokin, Vice Prime Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, and First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Ruslan Demchenko will work in the Trilateral Contact Group.

"We have a fairly powerful group, and I see now increasing number of talks and meetings," the President said, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to Zelensky, the first president of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk was appointed as head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group for the peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas because he has prestige with the population throughout Ukraine, including in the temporarily occupied territory of Donbas.

"Why has Leonid Kravchuk led the delegation? We considered several candidates. I believe that the delegation should be led by a strong, wise, educated person who has prestige with the population throughout Ukraine and in the temporarily occupied areas as well," Zelensky said.

At the same time, he thanked the previous head of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG, Leonid Kuchma, noting that "he really did a great job, which clearly remains unnoticed by the society as these meetings are closed."

"People only see the report released after the subgroups’ meetings. But these meetings last many hours in a row. And I am grateful to him [Kuchma] for this work, he got really tired. There is no other reason [for Kuchma to leave the TCG]," Zelensky said.

On July 30, President Zelensky dismissed by decree the second president of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma from the position of head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group and appointed the first president Leonid Kravchuk.

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