MOSCOW, February 18. /TASS/. By stating that he excludes direct talks between Kiev and the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky actually refuses to implement the Minsk accords, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on Friday.

"Zelensky said that he would not negotiate with the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. Local elections and a political settlement are issues that cannot be resolved without coming to an agreement with representatives of the people's republics. If the parties to the conflict do not negotiate, then who should solve these problems?" he commented on his Telegram channel.

"Zelensky actually refuses to implement the Minsk accords," the State Duma (lower house of parliament) speaker stressed.

As Volodin noted, in recent weeks the West has been beating the drum about a "Russian invasion" of Ukraine, but no one has apologized for the misinformation so far. "Instead, we see that Kiev, in violation of the Minsk accords, has attempted to escalate the conflict, by embarking on shelling settlements in Donbass," he added.

"It is no coincidence that the State Duma deputies expressed the need to recognize the DPR and LPR as sovereign states. Civilians are suffering and dying. We cannot turn a blind eye. We are concerned about the protection of [our] Russian citizens and compatriots living there," he emphasized.

On Thursday, Zelensky reiterated that Kiev would not negotiate directly with the DPR and LPR, because he considered it pointless.