The Russian Embassy
in London commented on British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt's statements made
as he was congratulating Vladimir Zelensky on being elected as President of Ukraine.
LONDON, April 23.
/TASS/. The UK and other Western countries seek to use Ukraine as an instrument
of military-political confrontation with Russia, the Russian Embassy in London
said on Tuesday in comments on statements by British Foreign Secretary Jeremy
Hunt made as he was congratulating Vladimir Zelensky on being elected as President
of Ukraine.
"Such statements
only underline that the real aim of the so-called support provided over the
last years to the Ukrainian government by the UK and other Western countries is
not at all helping the Ukrainian people and improving their lives, but using
Ukraine as a tool of military-political confrontation with Russia," the
embassy said in a commentary.
"In his
statement Mr Hunt said the UK's interest in supporting Ukraine was due to the
country’s position ‘on the front-line of Russia’s challenge to the rules-based
international system’," the embassy said. "The Foreign Secretary also
mentioned that Ukraine’s ‘stability is essential for Europe’s security’.
‘Cooperation on defense and security’ was identified as the first among the
areas of future cooperation between London and Kiev," the embassy added.
"It is worth
mentioning that the statement, while expressing readiness for defense
cooperation with Ukraine, does not say a word on the need for political
settlement of the conflict in the east of the country through negotiations
based on the Minsk Agreements," the embassy stressed.
The best way to bring
stability to Ukraine is to encourage the Ukrainian government to engage in
direct dialogue with its own citizens in the east, the embassy noted. "The
continuation of the current British rhetoric, not to mention the practical
implementation of the proposed plans, is unlikely to contribute to a
normalization in Donbass," the embassy concluded.
Source: ITAR-TASS
24-04-2019
