Donbass-Kiev Dialogue Key to Ukrainian Conflict Resolution - Lavrov

The key to the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict is direct dialogue between Kiev and the self-proclaimed republics of the country’s southeast, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, stressing that there is still no such dialogue because Ukrainian authorities are unwilling to hold it.

PARIS (Sputnik) – "I want to make a general conclusion – over the course of today’s talks we drew attention to the fact that the key pillar of the entire Minsk [peace] process is direct dialogue between Kiev and Donbass [Ukraine’s southeast]," Lavrov said after a meeting of Normandy Four foreign ministers in Paris.

The Russian foreign minister stressed that dialogue remains crucial to achieving progress in all aspects of Ukrainian conflict resolution, particularly security.

"Unfortunately, there is no such direct dialogue yet, first of all, because of Kiev’s unwillingness to engage in it," Lavrov said.