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Lavrov stresses necessity to launch dialogue between Kiev and southeastern regions

The Russian foreign minister expressed the hope that Washington would work closely with Kiev to have it stop its combat operations in Ukraine’s southeast

MOSCOW, May 09 /ITAR-TASS/. In a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed the necessity of the soonest launch of a “comprehensive national dialogue between the current Kiev authorities and representatives of Ukraine’s southeastern regions through the intermediary of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), first of all, on issues of the constitutional reform in line with the proposals that were discussed at the May 7 meeting between the Russian and Swiss presidents in Moscow,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

The Russian foreign minister expressed the hope that taking into account the United States’ positive attitude towards the roadmap of the implementation of the Geneva statement of April 17 that had been worked out by the Swiss presidency in the OSCE, Washington would work closely with Kiev to have it stop its combat operations in Ukraine’s southeast, release political prisoners and amnesty participants in protests.

Lavrov and Kerry agreed to continue contacts in the interests of deescalating the situation in Ukrainian southeastern regions, stopping bloodshed there and launching direct negotiations between the conflicting parties. The two ministers also discussed the situation with the process of Syria’s chemical disarmament. The telephone conversation was initiated by the U.S. side.

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Ukraine crisis Foreign policy Ukraine Eastern Ukraine

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