MOSCOW, April 24 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that he hopes dialogue between all parties affected by the crisis in Ukraine will soon take place in order to de-escalate tensions in the country.
“We suggested and supported the idea of consultations in a three-party format with Russia, the European Union and Ukraine with the goal of together stopping the development of events into a crisis back in December. Back then we were politely shoved aside and told not to meddle in the development of relations between Brussels and Kiev,” Lavrov said during the Global University Forum 2014.
“Now there is another offer by the Russian president … to begin serious consultations with the participation of all interested parties. I hope that this support will materialize into practical actions very soon,” he said.
Top diplomats from Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union convened in Geneva last Thursday for talks aimed at resolving the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine. The sides agreed on a series of immediate steps aimed at de-escalation of tensions, including the disarmament of irregular militant groups and a wide amnesty for detained protesters.
Just days after the Geneva meeting, a curfew was announced in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk after a group of unknown gunmen launched a deadly attack on a checkpoint near the city as people were celebrating Easter.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned the attack as a “provocation,” saying it demonstrated Kiev’s reluctance to disarm nationalists and extremists. On Monday, Foreign Minister Lavrov announced that authorities in Kiev had violated the Geneva accord.
