MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. The speech of US Vice President Joe Biden in Kiev shows that Washington is interested in exerting pressure on Russia through maintaining tension in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Italian media.
"When Joe Biden comes there and, in the propaganda frenzy, warms up the audiences from the rostrum saying that we will not go back on the need for Russia to fulfill all the requirements, and everyone applauds vigorously, I do not think this is a contribution to the solution of the Ukrainian crisis," he said. "It shows that the United States is interested in keeping Ukraine on its toes, and not for the sake of Ukraine, but in order to put pressure on Russia."
According to Russia’s top diplomat, the partners in the European Union and the United States are sure that they found a good formula - the sanctions will be lifted only after Russia fully implements the Minsk accords. "Read the Minsk agreements, 99% of its provisions are things that the authorities in Kiev should do, and together with Donetsk and Luhansk for that matter," Lavrov said.
He referred to the Paris summit of the Normandy Four, during which the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine for several hours coordinated practical steps to implement the Minsk agreements.
"These steps lie in the fact that the Ukrainian government should enact a law on the special status of Donbas without any reservations, because now this law has been passed but suspended until the elections," he said.
"As for the elections in Donbas, this is envisaged by the Minsk agreements and confirmed in Paris: the Ukrainian government should coordinate the law on elections with Donbss, the Ukrainian government, or, rather President Poroshenko, should sign the law on amnesty passed by the Verkhovna Rada more than a year ago, and the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada should enshrine a special status for Donbass not for three years, as stipulated by the law that has been endorsed but not enacted, but on a permanent basis, the way it is envisaged in Minsk and to do so within the framework of the Constitution," Lavrov said.
"And where is Russia’s role here? I do not see it," the Russian foreign minister said.
On Tuesday, US Vice President told Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that Crimea as part of Russia "will not be accepted by us or by the international community."