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Russia urges Normandy Four to intensify efforts with Kiev — Lavrov

MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. Russia is calling on its colleagues in the Normandy format to work more actively with the Ukrainian authorities in terms of implementing the Minsk agreements, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said speaking at the Moscow International Security Conference.

"We expect that our partners, in particular in the Normandy format, will be more persistent and open in urging the Kiev authorities to fulfill the obligations they took in Minsk," he said.

Lavrov stressed that "settlement of the internal crisis in Ukraine via full and consistent implementation of the Minsk set of measures should contribute to restoration of mutual trust."

"Unfortunately, it is the party of war that prevails in Kiev: armed provocations are continuing on the contact line, which is proved by the reports of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. The blockade of Donbass causes damage not only on this region but also to entire Ukraine", the Russian Foreign Minister said.

The so-called "Normandy format" was established in 2015 when Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko discussed the crisis in Ukraine on the sidelines of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France.