During the September 29 – October 3, 2014 plenary meetings of the Fourth session of the Assembly, delegates stressed the need for holding peaceful negotiations between Ukraine and Russia including the European Party as well, aimed at establishing peace and settling economic and energy related problems which may affect European states in the future.
It was stressed that Russia is a part of Europe, so only a dialogue with the representatives of the Russian Federation can normalize and stabilize the situation in Ukraine. Participants of the meeting claim that the PACE is meant to put an end to the conflict on the territory of Ukraine as soon as possible. The current ceasefire should be used to the fullest in order to establish contacts with the Russian Federation to stabilize economic and political situation in Ukraine and to finally regulate the conflict.
Opening the meeting, PACE President Anne Brasseur (representative of the ALDE group) stressed that Russia should "build a real peace not create the illusion of it".
The PACE President held a bilateral meeting with member of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in PACE Volodymyr Vecherko in the course of which she upheld the initiatives of the Ukrainian delegate in the Assembly, agreeing that peaceful negotiations at all levels are a single way to resolving the conflict on the territory of Ukraine. According to Anne Brasseur, Ukraine shall be developing as a democratic and integral state, but it needs peace in order to do this. The PACE President promised to grant all possible assistance for establishing a productive dialogue between parliaments of Russia and Ukraine and to promote active participation of representatives of the Council of Europe in this.
Giving a speech at the meeting of deputies' group ALDE – Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe – on September 29, V.Vecherko claimed "current situation in Ukraine raises extreme concern of the Ukrainian society as our country is involved in economic, political and energy crises".
In his words, this crisis can be regulated on the basis of a constructive dialogue in a form "Ukraine – Russia – united Europe", since representatives of the Council of Europe members states need to help the parties to the conflict to find a well-balanced approach to its resolving. Moreover, the previously announced negotiations shall be held not only at the highest level – the real results can be achieved by holding trilateral meetings with deputies of Ukrainian and Russian parliaments, the PACE delegates, their speakers and representatives of other state authorities.
"Only by conducting negotiations, by trying to find a mechanism for resolving the conflict can we prevent its further escalation".
Members of the deputies' group ALDE from the Great Britain, Georgia, Estonia, Spain, and Germany shared their views regarding the ways of resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
Deputies stressed that the PACE members shall apply all efforts to have the largest possible number of citizens of the Ukraine's East vote at future parliamentary elections. Otherwise the Council of Europe will lose the status of a powerful international organization able to fight for freedom and democracy.