Ukrainian separatist leaders present at the four-party conference.

According to Interfax news agency on the evening of February 11, citing informed sources, self-proclaimed leaders Alexander Zakharchenko of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Igor Plotnitskyi of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) were present in Minsk, where a meeting of the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France was taking place as part of the "Normandy Four."

The source revealed: "Zakharchenko and Plotnitskyi are present in Minsk. If the Normandy Four leaders' negotiations are successful, the DPR and LPR leaders are expected to sign the final document."

Alexander Zakharchenko, leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. (Source: AFP)

Russian television channel "Channel 1" also reported that Zakharchenko and Plotnitskyi were in Minsk, but there was no official confirmation.

Meanwhile, the leaders of Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia began their meeting at the Independence Palace in Minsk. Prior to the meeting, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko held brief talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.

According to VNA