Poroshenko announces coordinated effort with NATO regarding 'Normandy Fortmat'
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said further actions will be outlined using the Normandy format at the NATO summit in Warsaw next week, Radio Svoboda reported.
According to Poroshenko, the documents detailing the cooperation between Ukraine and NATO should be properly prepared. He added that the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pavlo Klimkin, and the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, Konstantin Eliseev, had recently visited Europe to discuss the preparations of a possible meeting, which would be held in the Normandy format.
While staying in Odessa during the Day of Naval Forces of Ukraine celebrations, Poroshenko said that he is confident that the sanctions were, and will be, a powerful motivation to force Russia to participate in the negotiations to resolve the conflict in the Donbas. This resolution should lead to the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. “The sanctions have been applied because the world has admitted that Russia has not fulfilled the required obligations,” he said.
During these celebrations, Poroshenko presented the state awards to a group of sailors. He also stressed the need to further develop the Naval Forces of Ukraine. According to him, the social protection of sailors is one of the top priorities. Poroshenko said that this, in particular, applies to housing for Crimean immigrants who have continued to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He also said that 600 soldier and sailors live on the ships. Poroshenko said that a housing program for military members and their families will be implemented soon.
Discussions in the Normandy format will be held between Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia. The settlement of the crisis of Russia’s aggression in the Donbas will be discussed. The Western countries imposed sanctions against Russia as a result of Russia's involvement in the crisis in eastern Ukraine and and the annexation of the Crimea.
The West has confirmed that these sanctions will continue until Russia fully complies with the requirements to remove them. The sanctions imposed due to the annexation of Crimea will be valid until the peninsula’s de-occupation.