Russia says optimistic about Ukraine crisis trio talks
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the talks among Germany, France and Russia over the Ukrainian crisis can bring an end to the deadly conflict in the European country.
"These talks will continue as you know; we believe there is every possibility that we will reach a result and agree [on] the recommendations that will allow the sides to really untie this knot of a conflict," Lavrov said on Saturday.
He made the remarks at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande started negotiations in the Russian capital city of Moscow over Ukraine.
Lavrov said Russia is ready to “promote the peace process” in Ukraine, stressing that his country opposes further warring and advocates direct talks between Kiev and the pro-Russia forces in the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
He also hit out at the US and the European Union (EU) for fueling the crisis in Ukraine.
"The United States and the European Union have taken steps to escalate the Ukraine crisis at every turn," Lavrov said.
The senior Russian official added that “the West connives to justify” Kiev’s military operation in eastern Ukraine, which he said involves the use of internationally prohibited munitions, such as cluster weapons.
He stressed that the structure of European security has been undermined by the acts of the US and its allies.
More than 5,300 people have died in the past months of conflict in Ukraine’s eastern regions, mainly Donetsk and Lugansk, the UN says. The fighting, which began in mid-April 2014 and intensified in May, has also displaced 1.5 million people.
AR/HMV/SS
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