Poland might join Donbas peace talk - FM of Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Ambassador at Large Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday that Ukraine would not mind Poland's participation in the Donbas peace talks but that would require the consent of the separatists backed by Russia, the Interfax-Ukraine press agency informed. "We have no doubt about the friendly intentions of Poland. Yet this [Normandy] format has taken shape and it can change after every participating side agrees to that," Kuleba said in a Channel 5 program on Tuesday evening. The diplomat added that it was necessary to assess the far-reaching consequences of a possible change in the format. "Say, we broaden the negotiating format, for instance, by involving Poland, I wonder if the Minsk agreements signed by only four leaders can be valid in this case," Kuleba said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was congratulated on the occasion of Ukraine's Independence Day by Polish President Andrzej Duda. Duda said that he understood how much effort is needed to introduce systematic reforms in Ukraine, and noted that Poland would support Ukraine's efforts to reinforce independence and sovereignty, as well as modernization and democratization.