MOSCOW, June 23 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed the need for a sustainable ceasefire in the southeast of Ukraine as a condition for dialogue between the conflicting parties as he spoke with his German counterpart, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported Monday.
“It was pointed out that at this stage it is necessary to achieve a sustainable ceasefire at the very least to be able to begin practical steps towards a dialogue between the Kiev authorities and the representatives of protesters in the southeast of Ukraine,” the ministerial statement said.
The conversation also covered “the OSCE's role in building trust between the conflicting parties in Ukraine, the need to find an equitable solution to the ‘gas problem’ and the soonest possible consultations between Moscow, Kiev and Brussels to analyze the impact of the planned Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.”
On Friday, Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko called for a unilateral ceasefire for a week, applicable to all military units involved in the special operation in eastern Ukraine. Poroshenko also presented a peace plan to resolve the crisis. The independence forces have claimed they do not believe Poroshenko’s promises.
