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Russia, Ukraine on way to serious conflict — lawmaker

State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee head Alexei Pushkov says an attack on the Russian embassy, insults to the Russian president, regular arrests of Russian journalists and refusal to pay for gas are links of one chain

State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee head Alexei Pushkov ITAR-TASS/Anton Novoderezhkin

State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee head Alexei Pushkov

© ITAR-TASS/Anton Novoderezhkin

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MOSCOW, June 17. /ITAR-TASS/. Relations between Russia and Ukraine have entered a new stage and are “on a way to serious conflict”, said State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee head Alexei Pushkov.

“An attack on the Russian embassy, an attempted attack on the consulate general in Odessa, insults to the Russian president, regular arrests of Russian journalists that never cease, and refusal to pay for gas, and I think this is a deliberate decision coordinated with the United States — all these are links of one chain,” Pushkov told deputies on Tuesday.

Russia did not recognize unilateral border demarcation by Ukraine, which was “contrary to all norms of the international law”, he said, calling for a joint commission and noting that a one-sided decision would lead to constant conflicts.

Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council on Monday authorized the government to carry out unilateral border demarcation, Security Council Secretary Andriy Parubiy told journalists after a council meeting chaired by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

The move reflected "today's threats to the national security", Parubiy said.

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Ukraine crisis Ukraine Alexey Pushkov

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