Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron held a telephone conversation. This was reported on the website of the Kremlin’s press service. One of the main topics of the conversation was the settlement of the conflict in southeastern Ukraine and negotiations in the "Norman format."

The presidents praised the exchange of held persons between Russia and Ukraine, which took place on September 7th. Both leaders expressed the hope that this action will contribute to the further restoration of Russian-Ukrainian relations.

Recall that on September 7, Moscow and Kiev transferred to each other the detained persons according to the “35 by 35” formula. RIA Novosti Ukraine editor-in-chief Kirill Vyshinsky, who is accused of treason in Ukraine, returned to Russia. The Russian side handed over to Ukraine sailors arrested for illegally crossing the border in the Kerch Strait, as well as Oleg Sentsov, convicted of terrorism.

The leaders of the countries also noted that when resolving the conflict in the Donbass, there are no alternatives to the implementation of the Minsk agreements. In addition, both presidents confirmed their intentions to continue constructive work within the framework of the Norman format. At the same time, Vladimir Putin emphasized that careful preparation of the agenda of the next summit of the "Norman Four" is necessary.

“In this context, attention is drawn to the need for Kiev to fulfill the agreements reached during previous summits in Paris and Berlin in 2015 and 2016, including the separation of forces and assets in the agreed sections of the contact line and the fixing in writing of“ Steinmeier’s formula ", - stated in a statement.

Recall that the “Steinmeier formula” proposed by the former German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier determines the sequence of actions to resolve the Ukrainian conflict. In accordance with it, a special order of self-government is introduced in the Donbass republics on a temporary basis on the day of local elections, and on a permanent basis after the recognition of these elections by the OSCE.

Meanwhile, the French media report that during the telephone conversation Macron and Putin agreed on the availability of prerequisites for organizing the summit "in the coming weeks."

“Both presidents have confirmed that the current dynamics may allow convening a Norman-format summit in Paris in the coming weeks in order to achieve progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements,” Interfax reports citing the French media, which, in turn, cite the commune of Elysee the palace.

However, spokesman for the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov said that there are no specific dates for the summit.

“There are no specific dates for the Norman format yet. There is mutual understanding that this format needs to be carried out soon, but for this we need appropriate preparation, ”said Peskov

In addition, the presidents discussed the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan on the Iranian Nuclear Program, agreeing to continue to make efforts to maintain the JCPOA.

  • The head of the RIA Novosti Ukraine portal, Kirill Vyshinsky, is disembarking from the Russian Tu-204 aircraft at Vnukovo Airport
  • RIA News
  • © Ilya Pitalev

Recall, on Saturday, September 7, the topic of the summit of the “Norman Four” was discussed during a telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. The heads of state also positively assessed the exchange of held persons, and also exchanged views on the situation in the Donbass. They emphasized the importance of "a ceasefire, as well as the consistent withdrawal of forces and assets on the contact line of the warring parties."

Speaking about the prospects of organizing the meeting in the Norman format, Putin noted the importance of preparatory work.

“The President of Russia noted the need to continue comprehensive preparatory work so that the next meeting in this format would be effective and would really contribute to the implementation of the existing agreements at the highest level, especially the Minsk complex of measures,” the press service of the Russian president said.

The future of Norman meetings

Work in the Norman format is important, but its prospects depend primarily on the actions of Ukraine, said political analyst Alexander Asafov. In his opinion, the implementation of the Minsk agreements by the Ukrainian authorities is important for a constructive dialogue.

“Everything depends solely on Ukraine’s readiness to move along these tracks and its readiness for constructive work in the Minsk and Norman formats. So far, Zelensky has only one constructive action - this is exchange. Let's see if he is ready for other real steps. So far this is not very visible, but the exchange inspires certain optimism, ”said an RT expert.

The upcoming negotiations in the Norman format will be largely related to the US position on this issue, said political analyst Ivan Mezyuho.

“The states can have a significant impact on the position of France and Germany in the Norman format. Now it’s premature to talk about how the situation will develop in the framework of the negotiations of this group, based on the fact that the United States has not yet determined how seriously they will deal with this topic and how they intend to further exercise their influence in Ukraine, in what form they represent the participation of the EU in the fate of Ukraine. The public will be able to find answers to these questions as early as this fall, after the meeting between Zelensky and Trump, ”a specialist told RT.

As for the mutual exchange of retained citizens between Russia and Ukraine, this action cannot serve as a full guarantee of establishing dialogue between the countries, Mezyuho believes.

“For Kiev, the exchange of citizens is a PR campaign, and for Moscow it is a humanitarian action aimed at protecting the rights of people who have found themselves in a difficult life situation due to inadequate actions of the previous Ukrainian authorities,” the political scientist is sure. “I doubt that the United States will allow Ukraine to establish constructive relations with Russia, and without a constant constructive dialogue between Kiev and Moscow we can’t talk about significant progress in resolving the situation in the Donbass.”

Moreover, for a successful future Norman format, political steps are needed first of all, said Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies.

“I think that the presence of Zelensky instead of Poroshenko has already influenced the situation in Ukraine, yesterday’s exchange speaks about this, but this, of course, is not enough. And the main thing here is that Russia should constantly emphasize that without political measures all this is pointless, this (“Norman Four.” - RT ) is not a legal, but a political construct, ”the specialist commented on RT.