BELGRADE, June 18. /TASS/. The Minsk agreements must be fully implemented, and statements by Ukrainian officials to the contrary stem from their unscrupulous intentions or the lack of knowledge of the actual situation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Thursday.
"The statements, which we hear from Ukrainian officials, that these decisions are not binding, all that stems from duplicity or ignorance of the issue, I can acknowledge that. There [in Ukraine], many are engrossed in the Ukrainian settlement in order to bolster their image on the back of this domestic political strife," Russia’s top diplomat explained.
He stressed that Russia’s only ‘red line’ regarding the settlement process in eastern Ukraine is "the need to strictly and fully implement the Minsk agreements in their corresponding order." UN Security Council resolutions are binding on all states.
Russia’s top diplomat added that Western countries should make efforts to encourage Kiev to abide by the UN Security Council’s decisions. According to Lavrov, Russia has repeatedly sent appropriate signals to international organizations and the capitals of European countries "regarding the need to persuade Kiev’s representatives to stop neglecting their duties and shying away from meeting the requirements of the Security Council."
"We also hear statements, including from the top Ukrainian officials, that the Minsk agreements are important only in order to keep anti-Russian sanctions in place. I believe that our Western counterparts who work with Ukraine and verbally confirm that there is no alternative to the Minsk agreements should be ashamed for their charges," Lavrov concluded.