BEIJING, November 8 (RIA Novosti) —Russia urges not to foster the popular in Kiev ideas of going back to the use or force as a method of resolution of the Ukrainian Crisis, promises to contribute to political settlement of the situation in its contacts with both sides, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday.
"What's most important is not to foster the ideas now spread in Kiev of the need to gain strength and go back to the use of force as a crisis settlement method, but to talk the hotheads off such thoughts and make sure that the commitments made by the Kiev's forces, namely on the course of political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, were fulfilled," Sergei Lavrov told journalists following his meeting with the US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Beijing. The Minister added that Moscow will use all the efforts to contribute to the political settlement of Ukrainian crisis in its talks with both conflicting sides.
Russian Foreign Minister also stated that Moscow welcomes Washington's interest in creating conditions for dialogue between the Ukrainian authorities and the independence supporters in Donbas.
"For obvious reasons we have different positions with the US on the situation in Ukraine and on the causes for those events. But, nevertheless, if Washington is interested in contributing to the peaceful resolution [of the Ukrainian crisis], as well as creating conditions for dialogue between Kiev and the leaders of the independence supporters, the heads of the LPR [Luhansk People's Republic] and DPR [Donetsk People's Republic], I think it would be a step in the right direction," Lavrov said after the bilateral meeting with the US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing.
According to Lavrov, at his meeting with John Kerry they have reiterated the need for fulfilling the Minsk Agreements. "These agreements have been signed, specific steps and time frames were decided for every one of them. But sadly the ceasefire is not always observed, the shelling continue. We all know about the tragedy which has happened in a school yard near Donetsk airport. Other incidents occur as well," Lavrov said.
"We find it necessary to reach an agreement on the [demarcation] line to separate the sides as soon as possible, for a strict control over the observance of the ceasefire regime and the truce conditions," Lavrov noted.
In mid-April, Kiev authorities launched a military operation against independence supporters in eastern Ukraine. The conflicting sides reached a ceasefire agreement at a September 5 meeting of the trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine in Minsk. A memorandum specifying the implementation of the ceasefire was adopted at another Contact Group meeting on September 19.
Both sides have subsequently accused each other of violating the truce.
