Ukraine interested in involving U.S. in Normandy format talks – Reznikov

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG and the Normandy format talks, Oleksiy Reznikov, said this in an interview with the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (Mirror Weekly) newspaper, answering the question whether Ukraine would object to U.S. participation in the Normandy format.

"I am sure we will not, because we have long said that it would be reasonable, fair and, among other things, part of our expectations regarding the implementation of the Budapest Memorandum, which has not been canceled," Reznikov said, adding that after the meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents in Geneva, the desire to involve the United States in the negotiation process has not disappeared.

"We need to do something. We definitely cannot live in standby mode for another seven years, as it was before. We will not wait for someone to agree on our behalf, since it may not be in our interests to do so. We have already gone through this. We certainly need new unions and new alliances, but with an independent position," Reznikov said.

He also reminded that Ukraine has the right to demand at least consultations within the Budapest Memorandum with the participation of Americans, French and Russians.

Earlier, the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Leonid Kravchuk, said that the decision to involve the United States in the Normandy format to resolve the situation in eastern Ukraine is likely to be made following the visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington.

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