Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a telephone conversation, called on German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock to influence Kiev in order to encourage him to take a more constructive position. This was announced on Monday, February 21, by the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Lavrov stressed that Kiev is responsible for the buildup of escalation on the line of contact in the Donbass and the increased armed provocations in this regard.
“Lavrov again called on the German side, as a participant in the Normandy format, to exert maximum influence on the Ukrainian authorities in order to encourage them to take a more constructive position. It was stated that the implementation of the Minsk agreements remains the only way to achieve a long-term and sustainable settlement of the intra-Ukrainian conflict.
During the talks, the foreign ministers of the countries also touched upon issues on the bilateral agenda of Russian-German relations, including the discriminatory actions of the German government against the RT channel in German, as well as the prospects for the Russian-German public forum “Petersburg Dialogue”, whose activities are blocked by the German side.
It is noted that the parties continued the exchange of views in the context of the February 15 talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz.
After the talks, the German Chancellor noted that, despite the differences in the opinions of the parties, they have a chance to continue the dialogue and direct the situation in a more peaceful direction. Indeed, at the moment they have “enough starting points” for a positive outcome of events around the territory of Ukraine.
The situation on the line of contact in Donbass escalated on February 17. The DPR and LPR reported heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces, including with heavy weapons. At the same time, Kiev announced the shelling of the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On February 21, it became known that the Ukrainian security forces fired 14 shells, prohibited by the Minsk agreements, at the village of Kominternovo in the Donbass. The representative office of the LPR in the JCCC also reported 16 violations of the ceasefire by the Ukrainian security forces.
Since 2014, the Ukrainian authorities have been conducting a military operation against the inhabitants of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’état and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kiev blames Moscow for the current situation. Russia has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the intra-Ukrainian conflict. The issues of its settlement are being discussed in the Minsk and Normandy formats.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
