Zakharova denied Europe's accusations against the Russian Federation due to refusal to negotiate on Donbass Europe – France and Germany in particular – against Russia, which allegedly refused to negotiate the settlement of the conflict in Donbass. Her words were heard at a briefing, the Lenta.ru correspondent reports.
“Well, where in the documents we published did we abandon [the Normandy format], where is there even a line? Neither verbally nor in writing, we refused to negotiate, we discussed the agenda and the final document, “the diplomat said, accusing Paris and Berlin of distorting Moscow's position.
According to the Foreign Ministry spokesman, European countries are engaged in disinformation within the framework of some “PR actions”. Because of this, a peaceful settlement of the conflict is hindered, the ministry is sure.
In early November, information appeared that the countries might soon sit down at the negotiating table in the “Normandy format”. However, Moscow later denied the data, explaining that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would not be able to hold the meeting anytime soon due to the tight schedule. In addition, the Russian side allegedly called on the German and French to agree on the draft final statement, but this did not happen.
The Foreign Ministers of France and Germany Jean-Yves Le Drian and Heiko Maas expressed regret over Russia's refusal from the Normandy format “to resolve the situation with Ukraine. In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry published Lavrov's correspondence in order to avoid distortions of Moscow's position on the meeting of diplomats. In it, the minister really calls on his colleagues to agree on a draft final statement, but, apparently, does not receive an answer.