MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. The principles of settling the Ukrainian crisis voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin stem from international law, and not some preconditions, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on the 60 Minutes program on the Rossiya-1 TV channel.

"The principles formulated by Russian President Vladimir Putin [of resolving the Ukrainian crisis] are not preconditions," he said. "They stem from international law."

Lavrov drew attention to the fact that "the Kiev regime plays into the hands the West, which needs to remove such a strong competitor as Russia from the international scene."

"The West wants to do away with any competitor," he emphasized. "Ukraine has been chosen as a weapon against us."