G20 summit in Hangzhou produces results favorable to Ukraine - presidential official
KYIV. Sept 6 (Interfax) - While Ukraine did not take part in the G20 summit in China's Hangzhou, some of its results are favorable to Kyiv, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office Kostyantyn Yeliseyev said.
"This is a great achievement of the Ukrainian president and Ukrainian diplomacy, as it is precisely before the summit - and we had known that Ukraine would be on the agenda - that we made quite intensive diplomatic artillery preparation so that this issue be discussed in a way favorable to us," the presidential website quoted Yeliseyev as saying in a radio interview.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had intensive consultations with some leaders of the G20 members; in particular, this includes telephone conferences with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, Yeliseyev said. Poroshenko also had contacts with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, and European Council President Donald Tusk, he said.
"Just before the summit, a special presidential envoy visited Berlin at Petro Poroshenko's request. He had productive negotiations in a tripartite format with the Germans and the Frenchmen, where a common line was agreed upon and where we set out our vision as to what issues need to be raised. Moreover, we presented lists of captives who are currently being held in Donbas and who are political hostages in Russia," he said.
"We have attained the main goal: no issues regarding Ukraine were addressed behind our back and without our consent. Second, it's very important that, after all, we have returned to the Normandy format on the top level, as the president of Ukraine has said repeatedly," Yeliseyev said.
"We welcome these results and are grateful to our partners, the United States, the German chancellor, and the French president, for support that we received," he said.
