MOSCOW, April 22 (RIA Novosti) – Kiev has sent Moscow a note on the implementation of last week’s Geneva agreement aimed at resolving the crisis in Ukraine, the country’s acting Foreign Minister Andrii Deshchytsia wrote on Twitter Tuesday.
“We sent a note to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on measures for the implementation of the Geneva accords taken by the Ukrainian government. It is for Russia to decide now,” Deshchytsia wrote.
In a bid to de-escalate the ongoing conflict, top diplomats from Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union approved a statement last Thursday calling on the sides in Ukraine to refrain from violence, extremism and provocations, disarm militants and launch a national dialogue on constitutional reform.
On Monday, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov said Kiev has failed to follow the Geneva accords as Ukrainian authorities continue to arrest activists in southeastern regions of the country and violate the rights of journalists instead of implementing the amnesty agreed upon during Geneva summit.
Lavrov's remarks came a day after a series of violent clashes in Ukraine on Sunday, when unknown gunmen drove by a checkpoint in the city of Slaviansk and opened fire at self-defense forces celebrating Easter. The Russian Foreign Ministry has said the provocation of the militants points to Kiev's reluctance to disarm nationalists and extremists.
Eastern Ukraine has been swept by rallies since last month. Federalization supporters in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Gorlovka, Slaviansk and Kramatorsk have refused to recognize the legitimacy of the current Ukrainian government and have urged interim authorities to hold referendums.
