EU says Russia has brought Minsk, Normandy formats to standstill

The negotiation process within the Trilateral Contact Group and in the Normandy format has stalled due to Russia's refusal to recognize itself as a party to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

That's according to the EU statement on "Russia's Ongoing Aggression against Ukraine and Illegal Occupation of Crimea," which was read out at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.

"Russia's refusal, as a party to the conflict, to act responsibly by engaging constructively in the discussions in the Trilateral Contact Group as well as its obstruction to the holding of another meeting in the Normandy format is causing an ongoing stalemate within these negotiation formats," the statement said.

The EU recalled that it has been exactly two years since the last Normandy Summit, which was held in Paris and where the Common Agreed Conclusions were signed. "We regret that most of the measures agreed then are still not implemented although agreements on a technical level have been reached in the working groups of the Trilateral Contact Group but remain blocked on political level," the EU said.

In addition, the EU regrets that once again this year, at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Stockholm on December 2-3, Russia "did not engage in the negotiations for a declaration on the OSCE's efforts towards peace with regard to Ukraine."

The EU reiterated its concern about the deteriorating security situation in eastern Ukraine, as a result of the continuing sharp increase in ceasefire violations, and about the military build-up by Russia near the state border with Ukraine.

"Any threatening or destabilizing behavior is unacceptable. We urge Russia to comply with the existing mechanisms under the Vienna Document regarding transparency on irregular movements and to de-escalate tensions," the EU said.

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