Peskov dismisses Ukraine claim that Russia avoiding Normandy Format talks

Russian Presidential Administration Spokesman Dmitry
Peskov dismissed the claim made by the Ukrainian foreign minister that his
government is looking for pretexts to avoid the Normandy Format summit. “No,
that’s not right. That doesn’t reflect reality,” Peskov said, as reported by
the tass.ru news agency. “As with all country-participants in this format, the
Kremlin is interested in the rebirth, reanimation of this process. In
conducting a new meeting at the highest levels. The Kremlin’s view is shared by
many countries that the meeting should be prepared to become resultative.” All
that Peskov said he could say about the preparation is talks are ongoing
between the presidents’ aides and “various ideas are being offered by all four
sides to fill this meeting with content and make it resultative.” Recall,
Foreign Minister Oleh Prystaiko told an Oct. 7 television talk show
that Russian leaders are not yet interested in meeting in the Normandy Format.
In his view, Putin is satisfied with the current situation in Donbas.

The Normandy Format was supposed to have met long ago
to resolve the warfare in Donbas, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko
said on Oct. 8, as reported by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. “We left this
(President) Zelensky one-on-one with these problems, saddling him with the
horrible load. Not his problems. And from the East, and from the West, stones
are being thrown at this young person. So wake up, finally! War is not only in
Ukraine. War is in our home and it’s up to us to resolve this problem.”

Russia is a side in the war in Donbas, Lukashenko
said, opposing the Kremlin’s long held position that the war in Donbas is
between local rebels and the Ukrainian government. “It’s not needed to say that
this isn’t a conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” he said. “Informed people
are here, and no one needs these statements. Yes, the leaders of the
unrecognized Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics can’t be ignored. They are
here and they can’t be avoided. This is an issue of agreements. But it’s
important that the main sides delved into reviewing this conflict and made
decisions.”