Russia expects full-scale ceasefire in Ukraine: Lavrov
Iran Press TV
Thu Jun 19, 2014 9:34AM GMT
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Moscow expects the Ukrainian authorities to propose a full-scale rather than a temporary ceasefire in the country's southeastern part.
Lavrov made the remarks at a press conference in Baku on Wednesday following negotiations with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov.
The top Russian diplomat said that any truce in Ukraine's crisis-hit regions must include regional representatives.
'If this initiative aims at comprehensive ceasefire, in which the opposition… will be able to exhibit a good will and start negotiations, to which the authorities will invite representatives of the southeast, then I think it could be the step promised by Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko and which is actually expected by all of us,' Lavrov stated.
He also argued that the temporary ceasefire seems to be "close to ethnic cleansing' as it requires pro-Russia forces in Ukraine to lay down their arms or leave the country.
The comments came after the Ukrainian president announced on Wednesday that he would soon order a unilateral truce in the country's troubled southeast, as part of a broader plan to end the bloodshed in the region. However, Denis Pushilin, the leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, rejected Poroshensko's offer.
Ukrainian troops have been carrying out military operations since mid-April to crush pro-Russia protesters in the east of the country.
The violence intensified after the Donetsk region together with Lugansk declared independence on May 12 following local referendums, in which the two provinces' residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine.
The government in Kiev says it is targeting armed protesters, but reports say that many civilians have been caught in the shelling.
SSM/HMV
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