MOSCOW, December 7./TASS/. At talks of the Russian and US presidents, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, Russia intends to set out its position on the importance of Kiev’s compliance with the Minsk agreements, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference on Tuesday.
"We will certainly very clearly state our approaches to the Ukrainian settlement, to the need to force the Kiev regime to comply with its obligations, written in black and white, within the framework of the Minsk Package of Measures," Lavrov said.
He stressed that Kiev’s attempts to instigate Western mentors of Ukraine ahead of talks between the Russian and US leaders raised "serious concerns." The Ukrainian leadership is constantly changing its stance regarding Donbass, demonstrating "differently directed streams of consciousness," he stressed.
"As for the peace settlement principle, it is the only one possible. If after speaking with a mentor from Washington and pledging that he would adhere to this principle, Mr. [President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky] then pronounced certain opposite things, it only confirms what I have said," the top diplomat added.
"Peaceful settlement is possible only on the basis of direct unambiguous compliance with the Minsk agreements. Everything is written there, translated into all official languages of the UN. That is why I am convinced that [US Secretary of State Antony] Blinken is familiar with this document, though he tries to interpret it in an absolutely inadmissible way, going against its text," Lavrov went on to say.
"Our American colleagues are trying to present the case in such a way as if Russia should comply with the ceasefire, pull back heavy weapons, ensure the establishment of social-economic ties between Donbass and the rest of Ukraine. Meanwhile, they are lauding the Kiev regime for, you see, extending once again the law on a special status [for Donbass] and working well on a law on amnesty," Lavrov described the developments.
Talks of the Russian and US presidents
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden will hold bilateral talks via a video conference on Tuesday. Putin will contact his US counterpart from his Sochi residence. Earlier, Peskov told journalists that the leaders were expected to discuss the situation around Ukraine, NATO’s eastward expansion, and Putin’s initiative on security assurances.