MOSCOW, October 31 (RIA Novosti) — All conflicting sides in Ukraine should refrain from provocative and thoughtless actions, so as not to hinder a political dialogue, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said during the UN Security Council meeting.
“Ukraine goes through very important period, which requires accurate, balanced actions, and encouragement for Ukrainian sides for the continuation of a political dialogue,” Churkin said.
“We call on all internal and external players to [refrain] from thoughtless and even more so provocative statements and actions,” he added.
Churkin stated that Ukraine would be able to solve its deep internal crisis only through the nation-wide dialogue, based on the Minsk memorandum, signed in September, and the Geneva agreement on de-escalation of tensions in Ukraine, signed in April by top diplomats from Russia, Ukraine and the EU.
In April, Kiev launched a military operation against independence supporters in eastern Ukraine, who refused to recognize the legitimacy of the new government after a February coup.
Following months of bloodshed, on September 5, representatives of Kiev and southeastern Ukraine's independence leaders reached a ceasefire deal at a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine, also comprising Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Group's next meeting in Minsk on September 19 resulted in signing of a Memorandum outlining steps for ceasefire implementation.
