Negotiations were also launched in Minsk in the Trilateral Contact Group including representatives of Ukraine and Russia and mediated by the Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), as well as involving separatists (representatives of “certain regions of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts”) in four working groups.

The 6 June 1944 D-Day Commemorations provided an opportunity to start diplomatic discussions between the Ukrainian and Russian Presidents under the auspices of the President of the French Republic and German Federal Chancellor in the Normandy Format or N4. 2014-2015: The Minsk Agreements aiming to end the conflictĭiplomatic talks began in June 2014. This vote, held outside of the framework established by Ukrainian legislation and marred by a number of irregularities, was considered illegal by Ukraine and was not recognized by the international community (including the Russian Federation).įrance supported the European Union’s sanctions in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and the destabilization of Ukraine. On 11 May, the de facto entities of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” and of the “Luhansk People’s Republic” declared their independence following a “referendum”. In March 2014, armed groups without insignia under Russian control supported demonstrators calling for the independence of these regions. The international community did not recognize this annexation.Īt the same time, a destabilization operation was launched in eastern Ukraine. On 16 March 2014, a “referendum” for independence and attachment to the Russian Federation was held. In Crimea, masked Russian soldiers without insignia took control of all the strategic points in the region on 27 February 2014. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to suspend the process which would have led to the signing of an Association Agreement with the European Union caused a popular movement called the “Revolution of Dignity” (Euromaidan). Conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation broke out following a political crisis in late November 2013.

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