Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba. File photoKYIV, Feb 15Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, in a telephone conversation with UN Secretary General António Guterres, said that the Minsk agreements cannot be implemented «on the terms of the Russian Federation,» according to the website of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. As noted, the UN Secretary General stressed that the UN considers diplomacy as the only way to resolve the situation around Ukraine. Minister Kuleba noted that the Ukrainian side highly appreciates the activities of the UN offices in Ukraine, in particular, the efforts in the humanitarian direction and the work of the UN Development Program. At the same time, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy is convinced that the UN should be an active participant in diplomatic efforts to reduce tension. Kuleba approached Guterres with a proposal to use the «good offices of the UN Secretary General» mechanism to de-escalate.Putin is ready to negotiate on the situation around Ukraine, Peskov saidThe Ukrainian Foreign Ministry recalled that the activation of the mechanism of «good services of the Secretary General» takes place within the framework of Article 99 of the UN Charter, which provides for the right of the Secretary General to bring to the attention of the UN Security Council any issues that, in his opinion, may threaten international peace and security. The «good offices of the Secretary General» (visits, meetings with representatives of the parties to the conflict, briefing the Security Council, mediation, recommendations for de-escalation, etc.) can be carried out by him either personally or through designated special representatives, envoys or advisers, and are intended to prevent escalate.
"The minister also drew the Secretary General's attention to Russia's attempts to manipulate the content of the Minsk agreements and promote a distorted vision of their essence. He stressed that the Minsk agreements cannot be implemented on Russian terms, which include, in particular, the so-called "direct dialogue" between Ukraine and ORDLO (Certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions — ed.)", the message says.
According to the minister, Ukraine is ready for negotiations on a political and diplomatic settlement with the participation of the Russian side in the Normandy format. «In addition, Ukraine is ready to work in other formats and is actively working to activate all negotiation platforms,» the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry notes.Zakharova called madmen talking about Russia's readiness to attack UkraineRelations between Moscow and Kiev worsened after the reunification of Crimea with Russia and against the background of the armed conflict in the Donbass. The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly accused Russia of interfering in the internal affairs of the state, and in January 2015 they officially declared it an «aggressor country.» The Russian Federation has repeatedly stressed that it does not participate in the intra-Ukrainian conflict and is not a subject of the Minsk agreements. A set of measures to implement the Minsk agreements was signed in 2015 in Minsk. The 13-point document provides, in particular, for a ceasefire in the Donbass, the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the demarcation line between the Kiev security forces and the militia, as well as other measures for a long-term political settlement of the situation in the Donbass. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine is responsible for the Minsk agreements on Donbass, this is the only format that works. Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern about the alleged increase in «aggressive actions» by Russia near the borders of Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied such accusations, saying that it does not threaten anyone and does not intend to attack anyone, and claims of «Russian aggression» are used as an excuse to place more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously noted that Western statements about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it are both ridiculous and dangerous. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its territory and at its own discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone and should not worry anyone. The so-called «Normandy format» of negotiations on Ukraine has existed since June 2014. Then, during the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Allied landing in Normandy, the leaders of Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France discussed the settlement of the conflict in Donbass for the first time. drag Ukraine to war