ASTANA, March 25. /TASS/. Russia will continue to pursue its key priorities in negotiations on Ukraine, as Moscow’s position has not shifted, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told journalists.

"We will continue to pursue the realization of our priorities. These priorities are well known," the diplomat said.

He noted that the main goal is to address the root causes of the conflict in Ukraine. "The root cause, as is well known, is NATO’s eastward expansion - despite our warnings that such a policy is unacceptable to us - and its attempt to absorb Ukraine and use it as a ram to inflict a ‘strategic defeat on Russia,’" Galuzin said.

Another root cause of the crisis is the gross violation of the rights of Russian and Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine, and the persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. "People’s rights must, of course, be protected - restored and reliably protected, just as the right of peoples to self-determination is guaranteed and enshrined in the UN Charter," the diplomat noted.

"We will, of course, work toward achieving all these goals during the negotiations," Galuzin emphasized.