MOSCOW, April 25. /ITAR-TASS/. Possible use of international contingent in Ukraine is not discussed, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told reporters on Friday. “It is not discussed in the practical aspect now,” he said.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also said earlier that “a peacekeeping contingent will not settle anything and unfortunately will just mothball the problem.” “The only way to preserve Ukraine and calm the current situation is to provide normal conditions for development of the country,” the prime minister said. “Dialogue with people is needed and interests of all ethnic groups should be taken into account,” Medvedev noted. “It should be admitted that Russians are the same citizens as Ukrainians and so can use their language in daily life, and it (Russian language) is the second state language in fact,” he added.
In mid-April Ukraine asked to the United Nations to hold a joint special operation in the east of the country, Ukraine's parliament-appointed Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov said. “Ukraine does not object to holding a joint anti-terrorism operation with UN peacekeeping forces in eastern Ukraine,” the press service of the acting president quoted Turchynov as saying. “Then specialists and observers will be able to confirm legitimacy and lawfulness of our actions,” he said.
Turchynov also announced the start of a large-scale special operation in the east of the country to protect civilians. Meanwhile, current Kiev authorities are taking measures “which should stabilize current situation in the region,” the interim president claimed.{article_photo:729412:'East Ukraine tension mirrors lack of comfort, OSCE head says':'right':'50'}A UN peacekeeping operation is absolutely unreal, Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said. “A UN peacekeeping operation is absolutely unreal, because Ukraine is a very big country. There is no frontline there,” he noted. In the view of Churkin, the presence of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was quite enough. “Let they observe what is happening there,” he noted. “It seems to me that no other presence can be contemplated presently,” he added.
“It is important that Kiev will realize that the Geneva document should be fulfilled and will take real steps to disarm rightist forces and carry out a constitutional reform,” Russia's ambassador to the UN said. He believes that “then the situation should defuse for itself and no peacekeeping operation will be needed."