MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. In a phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the necessity for Kiev to take concrete steps to implement the Minsk Agreements was underscored, according to the Kremlin press service.
"With respect to [Italian Prime Minister Mario], Draghi's concerns over the development of the situation in Ukraine, [Russian President] Vladimir Putin assessed Kiev's actions in evading the fulfillment of its obligations, most notably on the political aspects of the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. The necessity for specific steps by Kiev's authorities to implement the Minsk Package of Measures has been emphasized," the press service of the Russian leader reported in a statement.
According to the press service of the Italian prime minister, "the latest events related to the situation in Ukraine have been discussed" during the conversation, along with other matters. In this context, Draghi underlined the importance of de-escalating tensions. The press service also noted that during the talks, the leaders underscored their "commitment to a sustainable and long-term solution to the situation and the necessity to restore the climate of confidence."
A day before, the Russian leader continued discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron on the situation in Ukraine and the issue of providing Moscow with security guarantees from the West. This was the second phone conversation between the leaders in the last week. Concerns over Moscow's alleged preparations for an invasion into Ukraine have been increasingly pronounced in the West and in Kiev recently. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these statements as an empty and groundless escalation of tension, emphasizing that Russia posed no threat to anyone. At the same time, the Kremlin press secretary did not exclude some possible provocations to justify such claims and warned that the attempts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict by force would carry extremely serious consequences.
Russia issued legally binding drafts on mutual security guarantees with the US and NATO due to the ongoing "military development" of Ukrainian territory by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, according to Moscow. The sides held several rounds of talks, including a personal meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, where the Russian top diplomat reiterated that Moscow had no intention of attacking Ukraine.