"Kiev’s actions confirm its unwillingness to opt for the peaceful
settlement of the problems", the Russian Foreign Minister said.
MOSCOW,
February 10. /TASS/. Escalating tensions in Donbass manifest a gross violation
of the Minsk agreements by Kiev and confirms unwillingness of the Kiev
authorities to solve problems peacefully, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov said in an interview with the Izvestia daily on Friday.
"What
we see now is a gross violation by Ukraine of its commitments under the Minsk
agreements, which it is not going to implement in all appearances," the
minister said. "Instead of efforts towards achieving a stable peace, the
Kiev authorities are stubbornly trying to achieve a military solution to the
conflict. The outcome of this adventurism for them in 2014-2015 is well
known," Lavrov added.
He said radical and nationalist forces in Kiev are responsible for the worsening of the situation seen along the whole line of contact in Donbass. "This is documented in reports of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission," the diplomat added.
According
to Lavrov, "Kiev’s actions confirm its unwillingness to opt for the
peaceful settlement of the problems". "On the whole, the question
emerges - how the Ukrainian authorities see a road to peace in their country if
they consistently destroy people who they seem to consider their fellow
countrymen," he went on.
"If
the Kiev rulers indeed want the settlement of the conflict, they have only one
way out - to immediately stop armed provocations, to comply with the existing
agreements on the ceasefire and to finally start implementing all provisions of
the Minsk Package of Measures, including those that concern political aspects
of the settlement," Lavrov said.
The Minsk
agreements have no alternative, the diplomat stressed. "Our contacts with
foreign partners, first of all in the Normandy Four (Russia, Germany, Ukraine
and France) as well as with the US, show that for all differences in views
regarding the situation in Ukraine, we are at one as to a need for a dialog
between the sides in the conflict with an aim to search for accord and
compromise," the Russian diplomat added.
"As
for the prospects - the ball is in the Kiev’s court," he went on.
"Nobody can implement political demands of the Minsk Package of Measures
for the Ukrainian authorities - passing the law on a special status, on local
elections in Donbass, having a constitutional reform," Lavrov said, noting
that these are the moves "of key importance for achieving peace in
Ukraine".
Source: ITAR-TASS 10-02-2017
