Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spoke on December 15 in Brussels with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of an EU summit, the three leaders agreeing that the Normandy Format be revived to find a solution to the Ukraine crisis. Macron also had been on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the Brussels meeting.
“The three leaders reaffirmed their commitment to this format of negotiations in order to find a lasting solution for the conflict and to preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Macron’s office told the press. Zelenskiy said at a news conference that Ukraine is ready for talks in the Normandy format or any other, but he stressed at the same time that Ukraine believed keeping sanctions against Russia was necessary.
