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Peacekeepers in Ukraine to only mothball crisis — Russian PM

Dmitry Medvedev said “the only way to preserve Ukraine and calm the situation is to create normal conditions for the country’s development”
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ITAR-TASS/Alexander Astafyev
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev
© ITAR-TASS/Alexander Astafyev

MOSCOW, April 15. /ITAR-TASS/. Peacekeepers will not solve any problem in Ukraine but will only mothball the crisis, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday.

“The peacekeeping contingent will not solve anything,” he said. “Unfortunately, it will only mothball the problem.”

Medvedev said “the only way to preserve Ukraine and calm the situation is to create normal conditions for the country’s development”.

He said the de facto authorities should hold dialogue with people and take into account the interests of all ethnic groups, as well as admit that Russians are also citizens of Ukraine and can use their language “which in essence is a second state lanuaguage (in the country)."

Medvedev has also urged those who are calling to help Ukraine to take some actual steps to do so.

“We have been constantly accused of taking decisions that hamper Ukraine’s development, of having Ukraine by the throat for its decisions concerning gas,” Medvedev said on Tuesday. “We have a different position: we proceed from the fact that we have been helping Ukraine and are helping it now. Nonetheless, those who are calling for help to Ukraine should finally do something for it. First of all, I mean European partners and overseas partners. Just give at least one dollar. So far, we hear only endless promises: we will give one billion, we will transfer five billions - I wish they would give anything at all. We gave Ukraine three billion and preserved the discount for quite a long time."