The Steinmeier Formula

The Steinmeier Formula is a set of measures aimed at settling the armed conflict in Donbas. It is named after German politician Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who proposed it as a way of implementing the Minsk agreements.

The formula boils down to holding elections in the occupied territories in accordance with Ukrainian legislation and under the supervision of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

After the elections – if the OSCE recognizes them as free – Ukraine grants a special regime of local self-government to the territories of Donbas that are currently occupied. And Kyiv gains control over the border.

The Ukrainian delegation signed the Steinmeier Formula during a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk on October 1 – this is what Russian media initially claimed. Later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine had agreed to this formula.