VLADIVOSTOK, April 21. /TASS/. Moscow will try to contribute to holding negotiations between Donetsk, Lugansk and Kiev, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview on the Zvezda TV channel on Sunday.
According to Lavrov, during the talks in the Belarusian capital Moscow made great efforts to convince the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republic to back the Minsk agreements. "It’s we [Russia] who persuaded these people to once again show their readiness and even resolve, if you want, to achieve peace with the rest of Ukraine," Lavrov said in the interview with program ‘Glavnoye with Olga Belova’
"Unfortunately, the way the current Ukrainian authorities treat our efforts is disappointing. Despite provocations, we will seek the implementation of these agreements. We are a country that is capable of reaching agreements," Lavrov emphasized.
However, Russia’s top diplomat noted that Kiev is doing its utmost to undermine the success of the Contact Group’s work. "In practical work when the Contact Group meets every month, or even more often, the representatives of the Ukrainian government directly sabotage all what is discussed ranging from security, disengagement of forces and means, political process to agreeing on a formula of holding elections and granting this region a special status in accordance with the Minsk agreements. There is a direct and blatant sabotage."
Lavrov noted: "We should understand how the election outcome will affect the activity of the Ukrainian delegation in the Contact Group and who are these people delegated there."