Russian FM calls for dialogue between Kyiv, Ukrainian insurgents
MOSCOW, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) — Moscow has called for stable contacts between Kyiv and representatives from eastern Ukraine as a first step in solving the Ukrainian crisis, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.
“As the first step, we call to set up stable contacts between Kyiv and representatives of Donbass (Donetsk and Lugansk regions in east Ukraine) with the goal of reaching mutually acceptable agreements,” Lavrov told Russian State Duma, or the lower house of parliament.
Kyiv must bridge the gap in direct coordination with the rebellious Lugansk and Donetsk regions as soon as possible, Lavrov said.
“Any attempt to make Russia a side involved in the conflict is absolutely counterproductive and provocative policy which has no chance to succeed,” he was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.
Lavrov described any negotiation not involving two self-proclaimed Donbass republics as “a closed chapter”, insisting on continuation of the Minsk dialogue and urging the West to facilitate the dialogue rather than to support Kyiv’s hawks.
Although many clauses of the Minsk agreement are not fulfilled, they still form the basis of further settlement of the Ukraine crisis, Lavrov said.
Ukrainian government and the pro-independence rebels in Donetsk and Lugansk inked a ceasefire agreement on Sept. 5 in Minsk, capital of Belarus, at a meeting also attended by envoys from Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Frequent violations of the truce, however, have impaired its effect on alleviating the conflicts.
Moreover, Lavrov accused the West of the flare-up of Ukrainian crisis, which “results from the western policies of strengthening their own security at the expense of others and expanding their geopolitical influence.”
“The chances for de-escalating the conflict in Ukraine have been again and again torpedoed by the West,” Lavrov said.
He said that Moscow is prepared to find compromises with the West “on the basis of equal rights and taking into consideration the interests of each other, as well as avoiding attempts of blackmail and dictatorship.”