Moscow, April 12 (IANS) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that his country has no intention to incorporate the southeastern regions of Ukraine.
The top Russian diplomat made the remarks Friday in an interview with a local news channel, saying such plans contradict Russia’s national interests, Xinhua reported.
Russia, Lavrov said, is not discussing the need to bring peacekeepers to Ukraine or asking the UN Security Council to make some decisions, adding that Moscow urges the current Ukrainian administration to have dialogue with its people.
“We want Ukraine to stay whole, within its current borders with full respect for its regions,” the minister said.
Later in the day, Lavrov called on the US to prevent the use of force in southeastern part of Ukraine.
During a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Lavrov “drew attention to the disturbed situation in Ukraine’s southeast, including ongoing threats of storming the buildings that are under control of protesters”, the foreign ministry said in an online statement.
Lavrov urged the US to “use all its influence on the authorities in Kiev so as to prevent any use of force and push them towards a dialogue with regional representatives to create the conditions allowing comprehensive constitutional reform to be held”.
Kerry reassured Lavrov that the US is working to “normalise the situation”.
–Indo-Asian News service
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