Tillerson: the return of Russia in the G7 depends on the implementation of the Minsk agreements
WASHINGTON, may 24 — RIA Novosti. Washington still considers the implementation of the Minsk agreements on Ukraine as a condition of returning of Russia in the G7, said the U.S. Secretary Rex Tillerson.
The G7 summit will be held 26-27 may in the Italian city of Taormina in Sicily.
“They (Russia) have been excluded from the Group in connection with the situation in Ukraine, so to attach (to G7) again, they should resolve the situation in Ukraine. And we quite clearly gave them to understand what it means. This means progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements and restoring the sovereignty of Ukraine,” he told reporters.
Relations between Russia and the West deteriorated in connection with the situation in Crimea and Ukraine. The forum of economically developed Nations since 1998, was “the eight”, but in 2014, the Western members of the club decided not to go to the next G8 summit in Sochi and gathered without Russia in Brussels. Members of G7 have said they do not want to sit together with Russia, until Moscow changes its policy regarding the Crimea.
Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier said that Moscow has not taken any steps for the return in the G8 and will not do. According to him, the Western partners “are already trying to persuade myself that I need Russia in “eight” return”.
The Ukrainian authorities in April 2014 began a military operation against the breakaway LC and the DNI, which declared independence after a coup in Ukraine in February 2014. According to the latest UN victims of the conflict were about 10 thousand people.
The settlement of the situation in the Donbass is discussed, including during meetings in Minsk the contact group, which from September 2014 adopted three documents regulating the steps to de-escalate the conflict. However, after the armistice agreements between the parties to the conflict continue shooting.
Crimea became a Russian region after held there in March 2014 referendum in which 96.77% of voters of the Republic of Crimea and 95.6% of residents of Sevastopol voted for joining Russian Federation. Crimean authorities held a referendum after a coup in Ukraine in February 2014. Ukraine still considers Crimea its but temporarily occupied territory.
The Russian leadership has repeatedly stated that the inhabitants of Crimea democratically in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter voted for reunification with Russia. According to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the Crimea issue “is closed permanently.”