Moscow is not a party
to the conflict in the southeast of Ukraine, Russian presidential spokesman
Dmitry Peskov said.
MOSCOW, April 8.
/TASS/. The Ukrainians themselves must settle the situation in Donbass, because
Moscow is not a party to the conflict in the southeast of Ukraine, Russian
Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Monday. This is how he
replied to Ukrainian presidential candidate Vladimir Zelensky’s remark that in
the event of his victory he would do his best to achieve an effective ceasefire
in Donbass as soon as possible and for that he would directly contact the
Russian leadership.
"Russian
President Vladimir Putin has said more than once that for settling the conflict
in Donbass the most important thing is not dialogue with Moscow, because Moscow
is not a party to this conflict. It is an intra-Ukrainian conflict and it is up
to the Ukrainians to settle it, if they talk to each other," Peskov said.
He answered in the
negative to the elaborative question if that meant that Russia would not
discuss Donbass with Zelensky, should he take the reins of power as Ukraine’s
next president.
"No, it does not
mean that. You know that Putin is always open for dialogue, except for
situations where the dialogue is accompanied by various provocations and acts
of sabotage. In that case, Putin’s reaction is very clear, unequivocal and
resolute. Putin has always been and still remains a supporter of a dialogue for
resolving the problems on the agenda," Peskov said.
On April 7, Zelensky
said in a televised interview that should he be elected, he would do his utmost
to achieve an effective truce in Donbass as soon as possible. He called for
more active contacts with the residents of the Donbass areas beyond Kiev’s
control - the self-proclaimed republics - over social issues. In particular, he
pointed to the need for paying pensions.
Asked if he was prepared
to contact the Russian leadership directly, Zelensky answered in the
affirmative. Also, he declared it was necessary to keep working within the
framework of the Minsk Accords for a settlement in Donbass, adding that in his
opinion the agreements should be reformed.
Source: ITAR-TASS
08-04-2019
