MOSCOW, July 19 /ITAR-TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the Russia 24 TV news channel on Friday that the Kiev authorities were trying to blame all and sundry except themselves.
“Ukrainian president Pyotr Poroshenko has pledged many times that the Ukrainian army will not do anything to pose a threat to peaceful civilians and that it will not shell cities. But you have seen with your own eyes what’s happening to the populated localities, cities and civilians in southeast Ukraine,” Lavrov noted, adding that the Kiev authorities were pouring a torrent of lies on the global community and its own people.
The Russian foreign minister hopes the Malaysian Boeing crash will finally throw cold water on those who have staked on war, who is giving up commitments to pursue a political process and is refusing to hear the calls coming from Europe.
“We do not feel that the United States is willing to send any signals to Kiev persuading it to search for a solution through negotiations. The plane incident should make them stop and think,” Lavrov went on to say.
“International experts should receive the “black boxes” irrespective of what the Kiev authorities are saying. We are not going to take the “black boxes” (flight recorders). We are not going to break the global community rules for such incidents,” the Russian foreign minister said, adding it was in the competence of countries that were directly involved in the tragedy to decode the flight recorders.
Lavrov welcomed President Poroshenko’s decision to set up an international commission. “The commission should be formed in order to assuage all doubts that intentions to carry out a full-fledged investigation are indeed genuine and sincere,” the minister said.
Lavrov criticized Western partners for being pushy in promotion of unilateral approaches in relations with Russia, including the Ukraine crisis.
“Our western partners have certainly lost some of their good manners which have always distinguished European citizens. They prefer going their own way in everything they do ignoring our gestures of good will, which we have made plenty. But we would like everybody to be polite,” Lavrov told Russia 24.