"We clearly, as polite people, are ready to listen to suggestions of our Ukrainian colleagues, when we meet again next time on one level or another in the 'Normandy format.' But it is pointless to discuss any new ideas that weren't mentioned in Minsk without the participation of Donetsk and Luhansk," Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Malagasy counterpart Beatrice Atallah.
Last week, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that Kiev's proposal for a UN peacekeeping mission in eastern Ukraine will be brought up during the next meeting of Ukrainian, Russian and EU foreign ministers.
"If we're told all of a sudden why we should ditch all of our efforts in enforcing the OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] mission, and why the peacekeeping operation, which, as everyone admits, will take half a year to prepare is a more effective tool, we probably will be able to understand the motives of such a new initiative," Lavrov said.
In March, the Ukrainian parliament approved Petro Poroshenko's proposal to appeal to the UN Security Council and the Council of the European Union for an international operation to maintain peace and security in Ukraine after the ceasefire between Kiev and local militia came into force on February 15.
Russia said that it would abstain from voting in the UN Security Council, if the question of sending UN peacekeepers to Ukraine was brought up.
