'Friends of Ukraine' group wants to include the US in the Normandy format
The U.S. wants to be seen as a participant in the Normandy Group negotiations regarding the settlement of the situation in the Donbas region along with Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany. The members of the informal group ‘Friends of Ukraine,’ consisting of seven prominent European Union politicians, are appealing for this change, as reported by Politico.
It is noted that the Declaration was published on behalf of the former NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the former Secretary of State for Defense, Malcolm Rifkind, the former President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, as well as prominent politicians of Poland, Estonia, and Slovakia.
"The efforts of the Normandy Group resulted in the Minsk Agreements. Afterwards, a significant increase in the level of a dialogue between the conflicting parties followed. However, in terms of positive steps towards settling the conflict, the negotiations should be enhanced by involving all relevant players, including the United States," the document says.
The ‘Friends of Ukraine’ also urged the West to consider providing Ukraine with "increased military assistance, including appropriate defense systems," in case the separatists gain modern weaponry. According to them, Ukraine "can also help NATO increase its strategic awareness in the Black Sea region" by upgrading its own intelligence capabilities.