Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets at the Normandy Four dialogue in Paris on December 9, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

The conflict which broke out 5 years ago has killed 13,000 people. But a light appeared at the end of the tunnel at a recent summit of Russian, German, French, and Ukrainian leaders dubbed the “Normandy Four.”

Normandy Four Summit

After a hiatus of 3 years, leaders of the 4 countries met again on Monday in Paris. France's President Emmanuel Macron,  Russia's President Vladimir Putin,  Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed to implement a ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine by the end of this year and an 'all-for-all' prisoner swap.  Kiev will return 250 prisoners of war in exchange for 100 prisoners of war from the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk Republic in Donbass by the end of this year and will withdraw all armed forces from combat zones by late March next year. Parties involved also agreed on demining and establishing new transfer posts (border gates) for border crossings. The leaders pledged to continue the Normandy Four dialogue in 4 months.

Confidence building

Although these steps might not permanently end the conflict, they have built trust between Russia and Ukraine. Russia-Ukraine relations have been strained since 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula following a referendum demanding Crimea’s independence. Last year, the then Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko threatened a “full-scale war” with Moscow after the Russian coast guard fired upon and captured Ukrainian navy vessels attempting to pass through the Kerch Strait.

A bilateral meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky on the sidelines of the Normandy Four dialogue was called an historic event beneficial to Russia-Ukraine ties and the peace process.

Addressing a joint press conference following the summit, President Putin said the process is on track with specific steps agreed upon like a prisoner exchange and troop withdrawal from 3 frontier hotbeds.  Chancellor Merkel said the Normandy Four have overcome “the period of standstill” in settling the Donbass problems.

Onsite progress

On Thursday, the opposition in Eastern Ukraine said they are ready to exchange 53 Ukrainian prisoners for 88 fighters by the end of this year as agreed by the Russian and Ukrainian Presidents. In the recent past, Moscow and Kiev have swapped 70 prisoners. Last month, Russian announced the return of 3 Ukrainian naval vessels it seized in the Black Sea a year ago. President Putin’s latest move is viewed as a major step towards normalization of ties between Russia and Ukraine.