MOSCOW, November 6 (RIA Novosti) – Russia and the United States have agreed on the unacceptability of the resumption of military activities in eastern Ukraine, Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council's international affairs committee, said Thursday.
The compromise was reached during Dzhabarov's meeting with new US Ambassador to Russia John Tefft.
"We both agreed clearly that resumption of military activities in eastern Ukraine should not be allowed," Dzhabarov said during a roundtable held at news agency Rossiya Segodnya.
"Any military conflict in the southeast [of Ukraine] will lead to the gravest consequences, as Ukraine is in the heart of Europe," he added.
The official noted that Russia respects the elections in Donbas and the desire of the voters to elect the representatives of legislative bodies.
"This opens a possibility for full-fledged contacts with Kiev, as well as not to allow the resumption of military activities," Dzhabarov stressed, adding that the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic has already declared his readiness to cooperate with Kiev on political, economic and social issues, which is in line with the Minsk agreement.
An armed conflict in Ukraine escalated in mid-April, when Kiev launched a military operation against independence supporters in the country's southeastern regions.
A ceasefire was agreed upon at a meeting of the so-called Contact Group on Ukraine held in Minsk on September 5. Another meeting of the Contact Group on September 19 resulted in a memorandum specifying the implementation of the ceasefire. Since the establishment of the truce, the two sides have been accusing each other of numerous violations.
On Sunday, the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics held elections to choose their regional leaders and representatives of legislative bodies. The European Union and the United States refused to recognize the elections as counter to the Minsk agreement, while Russia has recognized the vote and stressed that the stance of Western countries undermines the region's peace process.
