"The signing yesterday, August 1, by the Ukrainian president, of amendments to the budget, which increase military spending is an extremely alarming signal," Gryzlov told reporters, following a meeting of the Contact Group in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.
Gryzlov added that Kiev was intended to expand its allocations for manufacturing weaponry, tanks and missiles at the expense of restoring infrastructure and facilities in the conflict-torn areas.
"As far as I'm concerned, the amendments are aimed at allocating funds not just for defensive arms. Secondly, these amendments make you think about the priorities of the acting Ukrainian authorities," the Russian envoy said.
Gryzlov stressed that the Russian delegation once again insisted on decoupling militaries in Stanytsia Luhanska.
"At the same time, the position of the Russian side remains unchanged: the de-escalation in Donbas on the basis of Minsk accords is impossible without resolving political problems," Gryzlov added.
In February 2015, Kiev forces and Donbass independence supporters signed a peace agreement in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. The deal stipulates a full ceasefire, weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in Donbass, as well as constitutional reforms that would give a special status to the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. Despite the agreement brokered by the Normandy Four states (Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine), the ceasefire regime is regularly violated, with both sides accusing each other of multiple breaches, undermining the terms of the accord.
