Political scientist Sokolov said that Scholz tried to encourage Kiev to implement the Minsk agreements
Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, tried to encourage Kiev to comply with the Minsk agreements, as requested by Russia. This is how the main outcomes of the summit were assessed by Artem Sokolov, an expert of the Valdai Club and a researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMI MGIMO, in an interview with Lenta.ru.
The specialist noted that the fact that the meeting lasted longer than planned may indicate that a detailed conversation took place between the parties. “Obviously, not everywhere the parties came to some kind of unified position, which, in general, they themselves recognized, for example, on the situation with Nord Stream 2,” Sokolov said.
According to him, Scholz's statement that Zelensky promised to introduce bills on special status and elections in Donbass can be regarded as a positive signal. “But at the same time, we have repeatedly heard such things, and now we will see the delay in the implementation of the Minsk agreements on the Ukrainian side,” the political scientist said.
Earlier in Kiev, negotiations were held between Scholz and Zelensky. Speaking to reporters, the German chancellor said that Germany continues to support Kiev and is firmly on its side. He also stressed that the Minsk agreements are the basis for negotiations to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, and said that Zelensky promised to provide draft laws on special status and elections in Donbass.
