Russia wants peaceful settlement to Ukraine crisis on basis of Minsk agreements, Russian diplomat says

MOSCOW, January 26 /TASS/. Russia favours a peaceful settlement to the Ukraine crisis on the basis of the Minsk agreements reached thanks to efforts by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and State Secretary Grigory Karasin said on Monday. “We will continue working towards the creation of favourable climate in Ukraine to enable it to solve its full-scale problems. At the same time, we are making it clear that any attempts to exert pressure on Russia by unilateral illegitimate sanctions will not force us to give up our well-considered and principled policy line,” Karasin said in a speech delivered at the Russian Federation Council UPPER house of parliament. “Russia is not going to discuss any criteria for lifting the restrictions. Let those who imposed them make the first step,” the Russian diplomat added. Russia, Karasin went on to say, is urging the Contact Group for Ukraine to continue its work. “Today the need to launch an inclusively inter-Ukrainian dialogue with an aim to reach an agreement on constitutional order remains urgent. In this connection, we are calling for establishing stable direct contacts between Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk and for further work of the Contact Group,” Karasin stressed. The bankrupt political elite in Kiev have failed to rally the country behind itself. That is why they have chosen in favour of a military solution in southeastern Ukraine. The Kiev authorities have committed several crimes against civilians in recent days such as the shelling of a public transport stop in Donetsk on January 22 and the tragedy in the port city of Mariupol on January 24. Dozens of civilians were either killed or injured in those incidents. Read more