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And then there were three: Merkel, Putin, Hollande
And then there were three: Merkel, Putin, Hollande
"Vladimir Putin drew his partners' attention to the gross provocations by the Ukrainian side, which sent a group of saboteurs to the territory of the Russian Federation in Crimea to carry out terrorist attacks in early August. Kiev's tendency towards such types of military operations is detrimental to the Minsk Process and cooperation in the framework of the Normandy Format," the report reads.
Earlier it was assumed that the Normandy Quartet would meet at the summit in China and, as usual, include the leaders of Russia, Germany, France, and Ukraine. However, following Ukrainian saboteurs foray across the Russian border into Crimea which killed two Russian soldiers, Vladimir Putin stated that he sees no sense in meeting in the Normandy Four format.
As has been reported, the leaders discussed the prospects of continuing the Minsk process during today's telephone conversation. "The importance of legislatively consolidating a special status for Donbass, constitutional reforms, amnesties, and the organization of local elections were stressed. All of these issues should have been agreed upon by the Contact Group [in Minsk] where Kiev has the opportunity to hold direct dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk," the official statement says.
Comment: Putin may want an undivided table. Eliminating Ukraine ensures rapt attention by Merkel and Hollande. Putin again gains points.