US President Joe Biden. File photoWASHINGTON, Jan 28U.S. President Joe Biden, in a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, supported the efforts of members of the Normandy Format group to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the White House said Thursday. «President Biden expressed US support for efforts to resolve the conflict (in Ukraine) in the Normandy format, expressing the hope that the confirmation by the parties on January 26 of the terms of the July 2020 ceasefire will help reduce tensions and move forward with the implementation of the Minsk agreements,» the White House said in a statement. , made public following a conversation between the two leaders. In April 2014, the Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation against the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR, which declared independence after a coup in Kiev in February 2014. According to the latest UN data, about 13 thousand people became victims of the conflict. The issue of resolving the situation in Donbass is being discussed, including during meetings of the contact group. However, even after the ceasefire agreements, skirmishes continue, in the DPR they announced the shelling of residential areas by Ukrainian heavy artillery. Moscow has repeatedly stated that Kiev does not comply with the Minsk agreements and drags out negotiations to resolve the conflict. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that Kiev sent half of the entire personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine to the Donbass. Moscow expressed concern about the transfer of military equipment from NATO countries to the Russian borders and the increase in the number of Western instructors in the Donbass. Western countries continue to provide military support to Ukraine, including by supplying weapons that are used in the Donbass.
