U.S. special representative Volker meets with Ukrainian president

Kurt Volker, the U.S. special representative to Ukraine, met with Ukrainian President Poroshenko on July 11 to discuss strategy, common steps and to give a new impulse to the Minsk talks, said that day Kostiantyn Yeliseyev, a deputy head of the Presidential Administration. The Ukrainian side had been long lobbying for a U.S. diplomat to become involved in the Minsk process, in coordination with the other Normandy Format participants, he told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Poroshenko invited Volker to take an active role in resolving the warfare in Donbas, he said. Volker also met with Leonid Kuchma, former Ukrainian president and Ukraine’s representative to the Trilateral Contact Group, to discuss the situation in Donbas and they agreed to meet regularly.

Zenon Zawada: It’s positive that an attempt to improve the dialogue has been made. But we remain confident that nothing will positive will occur if the parties involved continue to operate under the conditions of the Minsk Accords. We believe the powers involved will have to start from scratch and draft a new agreement if a diplomatic solution is to emerge in Donbas.