Ukraine asked the U.S. to join the Normandy format
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin, during his visit to Washington and in meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Michael Pence, discussed the possibility of involving the U.S. in the negotiations on the settlement of the situation in the Donbas within the framework of the Normandy format.
"The situation in the Donbas and the implementation of the Minsk Agreements were discussed. The Americans have a clear understanding of what Russian aggression is and how threatening it is... The issue of involving the Americans in the settlement of the situation, including their participation in the Normandy format, was also discussed," the speaker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mariana Betsa, said in a comment to Interfax-Ukraine.
She also noted that the Americans once again clearly confirmed its unchanged position on supporting Ukraine in countering Russian aggression, and supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its recognized borders.
Two days ago Trump received Klimkin in the White House. They discussed the situation in the Donbas and further support of Kyiv by Washington. Before that, the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry met with Vice President Pence. Klimkin traveled to Washington to participate in the Munich Security Conference Core Group Meeting.
Questions about the expansion of the Normandy Quartet (Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France) have been raised at various levels from time to time. The most popular proposal is the inclusion of the United States and Great Britain in it as guarantors of Ukraine's security according to the Budapest Memorandum. Poland also expressed a desire to join the talks, but this proposal was blocked by Russia in 2014.
The main complaint about the Normandy format is the lack of any significant progress in the peaceful settlement of the situation in the Donbas.