MOSCOW, April 25 (RIA Novosti) – The chance of settling the ongoing crisis in Ukraine under the Geneva deal reached last week still exists, Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin has said.
“They [Kiev authorities] should show that they really mean what is written down in the Geneva deal. I think there is a chance of returning to the Geneva agreement. In fact, we have no other sound way out,” Churkin said on the Rossiya 1 channel on Thursday.
The new Kiev authorities should act as initiators of the peace process and the crisis settlement, Churkin said.
“They [the US and EU] believe that we should somehow do something for the population in the east and southeast of Ukraine. Of course, the initiative should come from the Kiev authorities,” Churkin said.
The diplomat said the Kiev regime has so far failed to work out a new constitution involving the opinion of different political forces, as well as failing to release the participants of the anti-government protests.
In a phone conversation with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Churkin called on the UN to publicly condemn Ukraine’s decision to use force against the political opposition in the east of the country.
Russia will call for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council if Kiev does not immediately stop military operations against the opposition in the country’s east, Churkin said.
“If what we witnessed today continues, and the use of force against the protest movement in the east and southeast of Ukraine continues, we will convene an emergency meeting of the Security Council,” he said.
In a bid to de-escalate the ongoing conflict, top diplomats from Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union approved a statement on April 17 calling on the sides in Ukraine to refrain from violence, extremism and provocations, disarm militants and launch a national dialogue on constitutional reform.
In violation of the Geneva deal, Ukrainian authorities launched a special operation to crack down on pro-federalization activists in eastern regions of the country that have been swept by rallies since last month.
Reports indicated up to five civilians were killed or wounded in an army assault on a protester checkpoint in Slaviansk early Thursday.
