(VOVworld) - A new round of negotiations of the Contact Group on Ukraine in Minsk, Belarus has been cancelled after Kiev representatives did not show up.

Ukraine’s helicopters and armed vehicles near Donetsk (Photo: Reuters)

The negotiation was expected to involve representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Separatist envoy Denis Pushilin told reporters in Minsk that the foreign ministry of Belarus confirmed that Kiev representatives didn’t come, so the talks have been cancelled. Speaking to France’s AFP news agency, spokesman for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yevgen Perebyynis, said Kiev was not informed about the decision to cancel the meeting of the Contact Group on Friday. Meanwhile, former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma said to Ukraine’s Interfax news agency that at first Kiev wanted to send him to the negotiation. Kuchma added that Kiev aims to assure the Minsk ceasefire agreement reached in September to be implemented.