US admits for the first time that Kiev fails to honor Minsk accords — lawmaker

MOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/. The United States has acknowledged for the first time that Kiev doesn’t comply with the Minsk agreements, Chairman of the State Duma International Affairs Committee Alexey Pushkov told reporters on Wednesday. He commented on the remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry, which he made following talks in Sochi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"I think Kerry’s visit was intended not just to signal a shift in the US stance but, above all, to try to partially restore the dialogue that had been practically severed. Naturally, if the United States wants to resume dialogue, it must take into account Russia’s stand, at least on some issues," Pushkov said. According to the lawmaker, in this instance the US took into consideration Russia’s position by recognizing that Kiev failed to honor the Minsk agreements. Until recently Washington said that "it clearly saw Kiev’s willingness to implement the accords," the head of the State Duma committee said.

"Kerry has made it clear that in actual fact the United States didn’t see such willingness. According to Kerry’s statement, the United States believes that both parties fail to comply with the Minsk agreements. This is the first time the United States acknowledges that Kiev fails to honor the agreements," Pushkov added.