Ukraine expects Russia to implement the Minsk agreements, a Ukrainian diplomat has said.
“We expect Russia to return to the practical implementation of the Minsk agreements,” Director of the Policy and Communications Department at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleksiy Makeyev told Interfax-Ukraine on Friday.
He noted that Ukraine had taken note of a statement by Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov that Russia respects the choice of the residents of Donbas made on November 2, but that the terms “respect” and “recognize” are two different words.
“We took note of the fact that the Russian Federation is the only country in the world that respects the electoral farce in Donbas on November 2, which is directed against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We also took note of the fact that the Russian side was unable to equate the words ‘recognize’ and ‘respect.’ This is kind of diplomatic balancing. Instead, it would be better for the Russian side not only not to recognize, but also to condemn these ‘elections,’ as all civilized and democratic countries in the world did, because these ‘elections’ do not comply with the Minsk agreements and seriously impede the peace process in Donbas,” Makeyev said.
Earlier it was reported that the Kremlin does not equate the terms “respect” and “recognize” with regard to the so-called elections held in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.
“Russia’s official position is expressed in a short, but meaningful Foreign Ministry statement after the elections. It uses the word ‘respect,'” Ushakov told reporters on Friday.
When asked whether it is possible to equate the terms “respect” and “recognize” with respect to the “elections” held in Donbas, Ushakov said: “These are different words. The word ‘respect’ was especially chosen. We fundamentally respect the will of the voters.”
He said that Russia supports the continuation of the Minsk process and the holding of the next meeting of the trilateral contact group.
“But not everything depends on us. Many factors are important here,” he said.
