Ukrainian Interior Minister: Putin’s aide Surkov lost temper during Normandy Format talks in Paris

After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Russian President Vladimir Putin "to just withdraw their troops from the occupied Donbass”, the adviser to the Russian President Vladislav Surkov began to shout and hurl papers, said Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov on the TV the program "Freedom of Speech by Savik Shuster."

"There was a very clear moment. Putin says, "Let's withdraw troops along the entire line of demarcation." Volodymyr Zelensky says: "Well, one moment. I believe we could continue withdrawing like this for 20 years. Can't you just withdraw your troops from there?" Simple conversation," Avakov said.

According to Avakov, at that point, they decided that this issue would be discussed separately by the advisers.

"The advisers came out, and we saw Mr. Surkov was losing it. He said, "How is that? We didn't agree on that!" He started throwing papers, and so on. Vadim (Prystaiko, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs) was like a rock, Yermak (adviser to the President of Ukraine) was like a rock, we were all... and he was upset," Avakov added.

The representative of Ukraine in the Trilateral Contact Group on Donbas, Oleksii Reznikov said, "Surkov was annoyed that the Ukrainian delegation was speaking Ukrainian".

When asked who exactly told Surkov from Ukrainian side, that Zelensky would be compliant, Reznikov said that it was not someone from the Ukrainian delegation.

"They were negotiating with representatives of the French and German sides. They may have had a communication problem there. Surkov thought they had a deal there, and that they would agree with us too. That's it. I think there was a loss of signal," Reznikov explained.

Earlier, Oleksii Reznikov, said that by the next summit of the "Normandy Four" Kyiv will prepare its proposals to change the Minsk agreements.

  Surkov, Avakov, Normandy Four

Comments