Russia slams Kiev’s call for international peacekeepers in east Ukraine

Russia’s foreign minister has slammed a request by Ukraine for an international peacekeeping force to be deployed in the east, arguing that such a unilateral move undermines the Minsk truce deal.

Sergei Lavrov emphasized in a Saturday interview with the local Rossiya 1 Channel that the deployment of such a force can only take place if the pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine also back the move.

The Russian official predicted that the European Union would not engage in the effort unless the conflicting sides reach a consensus on it.

“The EU would never go to any region – be it southeastern Ukraine or anywhere else – unless the conflicting sides agree to such a mission,” Lavrov stated.

He further called on the government in Kiev to speak directly with the self-proclaimed republics of Lugansk and Donetsk rather than with Moscow in a bid to secure their backing for the peacekeeping force.

On March 16, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (pictured below) submitted to parliament the draft address to the UN Security Council on the request for the peacekeeping force.

“I believe it’s a distraction… Poroshenko is pressured by those who don’t want any peaceful settlement, which would also whitewash their guilt in the conflict,” Lavrov said.

He further blasted Ukrainian lawmakers for adopting measures in defiance of the Minsk accord, saying, “After the Ukrainian parliament adopted legislation on local elections that directly contradicts the terms of the Minsk agreement, they came up with this new trick, the peacekeepers initiative. It all sounds noble and fine, but those familiar with the situation see it for what it actually is.”

Blasting Washington-Kiev collaboration

The Russian foreign minister also accused the United States of meddling in the internal affairs of Ukraine, suggesting that Washington and Kiev speak in one voice when it comes to challenging the Minsk agreement.

“As far as we know, the Americans give lip service to the Minsk agreement… but put much effort into interpreting the agreed documents and their position is then voiced verbatim by Kiev,” said Lavrov.

The top Russian diplomat then called on Kiev’s foreign backers to exert more pressure on the Ukrainian government to abide by the Minsk peace deal, which was agreed to by Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine in the Belarusian capital on February 12.

“I feel sad that tantrums and Kiev’s unwillingness to compromise is just blocking the implementation of the agreement, which we all saw as good and implementable,” Lavrov said.

Further criticizing unconditional backing of Kiev by the United States and European Union, Lavrov added, “The problem is that Americans and to a lesser degree Europeans feel uncomfortable when they have to criticize Kiev. They avoid it whenever they can. They endorsed the new Ukrainian government, turned a blind eye to many of their actions, but it didn’t help.”

Kiev uncooperative with OSCE mission

Lavrov also alleged that Kiev was attempting to sideline the mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is tasked with monitoring the implementation of the truce, by falsely claiming that it is not living up to its task.

The OSCE has “significantly improved the quality of its reports,” the Russian official said.

He, however, added, “We insist that the reports were delivered on daily basis and they were distributed straight away to all OSCE member countries, rather than being sent to Vienna to be edited and ‘dressed.’”

Pointing to Kiev’s unhappiness with the OSCE due to its criticism of the Ukrainian military, Lavrov said, “The facts reported to OSCE members bear out that roughly 80 percent of incidents, such as failures to pull back troops or give observers access to areas they want to visit, are due to the actions of the Ukrainian military.”

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