MOSCOW, October 14. /TASS/. Russia hopes Kiev will heed the United States’ signal about the topicality of the Minsk agreements, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, commenting on the results of US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland’s visit to Moscow.
"The United States’ reiterating [position on the Minsk agreements] was not of much importance for us - we have our own position on the Minsk accords, but I hope Kiev have heeded this signal from its direct curator - Victoria Nuland, and I think this signal is quite relevant at the moment," she said in an interview with the Zvezda television channel.
According to the Russian diplomat, the key result of the discussion of issues of Ukrainian settlement during Nuland’s visit to Moscow was the reiteration of the topicality of the Minsk agreements. "Kiev has embarked on an absolutely difference course," she recalled.
"Whereas some two years ago the topic of the alleged irrelevance of the Minsk agreement, their alleged impracticality because of the changed historic circumstances or the necessity of new, hybrid agreements was discussed by experts and political analysts unofficially, over the past year we see it as Kiev’s and the entire Ukrainian leadership’s official position," she explained.
She stressed that there are no circumstances that could prevent Washington from promoting Ukrainian settlement. "If they want to do something constructive, to help Ukraine get out of the dead end Ukrainian politicians have driven it into, it can be done anytime, it is never too late to begin. We observe a reverse movement, how Ukraine is being staffed with weapons. We observe how the atomistic, torn and bleeding country is being further antagonized from inside," Zakharova added.
On Wednesday, Nuland met with deputy head of the Kremlin administration Dmitry Kozak. Among other topics, the sides discussed the situation in Ukraine and the Minsk agreements. On the same day, she met with Russian presidential aide for international issues Yuri Ushakov. On Tuesday, Nuland had talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin also took part in the talks.