MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Moscow fully supports the work of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) special monitoring mission in Ukraine, Lavrov said.
"The sabotage of these decisions [Minsk agreements and the UN resolution] must be stopped, according to these decisions there is no alternative to direct talks between the parties, Kiev and Donbass in the format of contact group and Normandy format," Lavrov said in his opening speech at the 23rd OSCE Ministerial Council in Hamburg.
Ukraine was high on the agenda during the statements by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the EU high representative Federica Mogherini. She, in particular, called for geographical expansion of the OSCE mission in Ukraine to include checkpoints on the Russian border.
"If you want to invite a partner for a dialogue you should not start with claims or any allegations or have talks only on your ultimate requirements," Lavrov said.
In February 2015, the two sides reached a ceasefire deal after talks brokered by the leaders of Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine — the Normandy format — in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. The Minsk agreements call for Kiev to afford local autonomy in eastern Ukraine, including special status to the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics. The deal also stipulates a full ceasefire, withdrawing weapons from the line of contact, and an all-for-all prisoner exchange.
