German Foreign Minister Wants Speeding Up the "Minsk Process"

The current truce in Donbass is the longest since 2014, the head of the German Foreign Ministry said. On Ukraine’s Independence Day, Heiko Mas will meet in Kiev with Ukrainian President Zelensky, Prime Minister Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Kuleba. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stands for accelerating the implementation of the Minsk agreements and activities to resolve the Donbass conflict. The ceasefire established a few weeks ago is the longest since 2014, he said on Monday 24 August. This is "an encouraging sign," he stressed. Heiko Mas will meet in Kiev with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in the next few hours. The parties will discuss the situation in Donbass and the possibility to continue consultations on in the "Normandy format" (Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine). The agenda of the meeting also includes issues of cooperation within fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and reforms in Ukraine. On August 24, Ukraine celebrates 29 years since the declaration of independence. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier conveyed congratulations to his Ukrainian counterpart. The Federal Republic supports Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, while the Crimea peninsula annexed by Russia remains part of Ukraine, Steinmeier emphasized.