Lavrov says Normandy Quartet, US agree there can be no alternative to Minsk agreements

MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. The Normandy Quartet countries and the US agree that there is no alternative to the Minsk agreements, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said addressing the State Duma (lower house of parliament). According to him, Kiev’s "stubborn unwillingness to fulfill its obligations under the Minsk agreements is the main obstacle for settling Ukraine’s domestic crisis." "Moreover, Kiev continues armed provocations on the line of contact as well as its bellicose rhetoric," Lavrov added. "Contacts with our foreign counterparts, including members of the Normandy Quartet and the US, show that everybody understands there can be no alternative to the implementation of the Minsk agreements," the top diplomat stressed. "Of course, it will be impossible to achieve this goal without Kiev’s direct dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk, as the UN Security Council Resolution 2202 stipulates." Read more