"Diplomats serve peace and guarantee peaceful changes. We are an alternative to the 'war party.' That is why … I hope we will win. We must jointly defeat the war party and put an end to the conflict in Ukraine via a political process and reconciliation," Usackas said.
The ambassador noted that EU-Russia relations are currently strained, but he has managed to maintain dialogue with his Russian colleagues, despite differences in their views on the "current events."
The crisis in Ukraine escalated to armed confrontation in April after Kiev sent troops to Ukraine's southeast to suppress pro-independence forces there. Top Ukrainian officials, including President Petro Poroshenko, have accused Russia of directly interfering in the conflict, a claim that Moscow has repeatedly denied.
