Moscow to use all legal means to prevent bloodshed in Ukraine- Russian official
30 April 2014, 22:27 -- Russia will stand firm to prevent bloodshed in Ukraine and defend the rights of Ukrainian people by all available legal means, Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, said in an interview with The Voice of Russia radio Wednesday.
Russia will use all possible legal ways, UN Security Council resources and the international community's efforts to return to the February 21 peace deal and the Geneva agreement, she said.
The interim Ukrainian authorities have to comply with these agreements, 'otherwise they will continue leading the country up to a blind alley,' the politician said. Since no one in Ukraine is solving social and economic problems, the situation in the country will come to a collapse soon, Matviyenko stressed.
The current Kiev government is illegitimate, that's why people do not support its decisions, the senator said, underlining that Ukraine's authorities should decide which path to follow.
If they follow the Western geopolitical line, they should openly acknowledge it, but if they want stability in the country, their actions must be completely different, Matviyenko said.
On February 21 Ukrainian opposition leaders signed a EU-mediated peace pact with President Viktor Yanukovych aimed to end a violent standoff between the parties. On the next day Ukraine's parliament, backed by far-right movements, voted to strip President Viktor Yanukovych of his powers, amended the constitution and scheduled early presidential elections for May 25.
A number of eastern and southern regions, as well as the Republic of Crimea, refused to recognize the legitimacy of the interim authorities and called for a referendum on the status of their regions within the country.
On April 17 in Geneva, top diplomats from Russia, the United States, Europe and Ukraine agreed a number of measures aimed at the de-escalation of tensions in the crisis-hit country, including the disarmament of irregular militant groups and a dialogue on constitutional reforms.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that despite the Geneva agreement calling for the end of violence and total rejection of extremism, the Right Sector movement continues to stage its provocations in Ukraine, including targeting Ukrainians.
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