Ariev says severance of Ukraine-Russia diplomatic relations would block talks in Minsk, Normandy formats

The severance of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Russia would virtually put an end to dialogue in the Minsk and Normandy formats, Volodymyr Ariev, a member of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (the Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction) and the head of Ukraine's permanent delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said in a statement.