MOSCOW, August 25 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is ready for any type of format to discuss the situation in Ukraine: from direct bilateral contacts to a “Normandie format,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.
“We are more than ready, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has emphasized this several times, to any format as long as there is some sort of a result. As soon as we started to move away from the military conflict in Ukraine, a civilian war, to national dialogue, to forming a national unity, on that need that was agreed on February 21…,” Lavrov said during a briefing.
Lavrov said that Moscow is ready “to work in any format: ready to direct bilateral contacts, ready for contacts in the Normandie quartet, or the Geneva quartet.”
“The main thing is that the form doesn’t change the content,” he added.
Earlier in July, Lavrov said that Russia will do its utmost to end the bloodshed in Ukraine and to create conditions for negotiations between the conflicting parties in order to find the political solution “that would ensure the rights of all the citizens and regions of Ukraine.”
Since Kiev launched special military operation against independence supporters in eastern Ukraine in April, hundreds of people, including civilians, children, and journalists on professional duty have died in the region.
Top diplomats from Russia, the United States, the European Union and Ukraine met in Geneva on April 17 to devise road map, which called for an end to the violence in the region, amnesty for all those involved in the fighting and a dialogue between the state authorities and independence supporters.
However, the resulting Geneva Accords did not stop Kiev from proceeding with its military operation, which resulted in more victims.
Moscow has repeatedly urged for an immediate end to the ongoing military action, stressing the importance of a peaceful dialogue and expressing its readiness to participate in consultations.
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