Lavrov: Russia has no plans to recognize Donetsk and Lugansk republics

Lavrov: Russia has no plans to recognize Donetsk and Lugansk republics

Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - 15:16

Moscow’s move to recognize the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics would be counterproductive as this would give the West a pretext to stop pressure on Kiev on implementing the Minsk peace deal, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

I’m convinced that this will be counterproductive, Lavrov said, stressing that it is very important that the documents signed in Minsk are implemented.

If we say now that 'our patience has run out, we will go another way,’ they will say ‘fine, then the West will have no influence on the current Ukrainian authorities now, Lavrov said.

Nevertheless, Russia is not abandoning or forgetting about Ukraine’s southeast, the diplomat went on to say.

We are not giving up Ukraine’s southeast or forgetting about it and are very actively supporting it not only politically. This is both humanitarian assistance and solving current economic problems, the problems of this region’s life.

Lavrov said this concerns the issues that France and Germany pledged to solve, namely the problem of the banking system’s operation.

They (France and Germany) could not do that and admitted that, he said.

We solved these and other problems of life in Donbass and will do this, Lavrov stressed.

The minister has also noted that Moscow hopes that Ukrainian leadership’s statements about the importance of implementing the Minsk Agreements will be implemented in practice, reports TASS.

There is definitely hope" that the Minsk Agreements will be implemented, Lavrov said. "And not only hope. We should demand that they are implemented, he added.

DONi News Agency

 https://dninews.com/article/lavrov-russia-has-no-plans-recognize-donetsk-and-lugansk-republics