Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s telephone conversation with German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas

On April 16, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Heiko Maas at the initiative of the German side.

The foreign ministers discussed the situation in the world as well as in Germany and Russia in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. They shared the opinion that the international community should join efforts to fight the spread of the coronavirus infection, and agreed that attempts to politicise the COVID-19 issue are unacceptable.

The ministers exchanged views on the status of the Ukraine conflict settlement with an emphasis on urging the conflicting parties to completely fulfill the agreements reached in the Normandy format that have to be implemented via the Contact Group mechanisms.

Sergey Lavrov cited specific examples of non-constructive actions taken by Kiev authorities, who are obstructing the full implementation of the Minsk Package of Measures.

The ministers agreed to take into account all the circumstances in preparing the videoconference of the Normandy Four foreign ministers, the date of which will be determined later.

They also touched on practical aspects of Russian-German cooperation.