MOSCOW, November 16. /TASS/. The Western countries are artificially prolonging the conflict in Ukraine and further destabilizing the situation, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto said at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.

"We are against the West artificially supporting the continuation of this conflict and further destabilizing the situation," he said about the Ukrainian crisis.

According to Gil Pinto, during the talks with Lavrov they touched upon Ukraine.

"I reiterated Venezuela's commitment to its original attitude to what is happening in Ukraine. We call on the parties to enter into direct negotiations. We would like to see peace restored and relevant documents signed as soon as possible," he added.