Lavrov has rejected the demand of Kiev to deploy peacekeepers on the border
The placement of UN peacekeepers on the border of Ukraine with Russia contrary to the Minsk agreements, said the Minister of foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov. In the near future a proposal for peacekeepers will be discussed by the assistants of the leaders of “Norman Quartet”.
At a press conference following talks with Minister of foreign Affairs of France Jean-Yves Le Drian, the Russian Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the requirement of Kiev to place UN peacekeepers on the border between Russia and Ukraine contradicts the Minsk agreements.
“The Ukrainian side has responded to our initiative, they said that it [the placement of peacekeeping forces on the demarcation line in the Donbas] won’t work because you need to start with the placement of UN peacekeepers are not on the frontline and on the border with Russia,” Lavrov said.
The topic of the connection of the UN to the implementation of the Minsk agreements, I do not see the contradictions between Russia and Ukraine, and see no contradiction between Ukraine and Minsk agreements.Sergei Europeanists of foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
In the Minsk agreements, the Ukrainian government can gain control of border only after other provisions of the agreement.
On 5 September, President Putin said that Moscow is ready to introduce UN peacekeepers into the conflict zone in the Donbass. According to the President, they need to ensure the safety of the staff of the special monitoring mission of the OSCE. Putin stated that posted they should only be on the boundary line of the forces of Kiev and the DPR and LPR, and consent for placement must be obtained from the self-proclaimed republics. The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko September 7 expressed disagreement with the Kiev Russian approach and recalled the request of the Ukrainian side to deploy peacekeepers in all the conflict zone, including at the border.
“We will analyse the proposal of the Russian side and will try to link this initiative with the Minsk agreements”, — said at the press conference Le Drian. He noted that Russia for the first time says the introduction of UN forces in this center. Paris “will very closely study” the Russian proposal on the introduction of peacekeepers in Donbass, he added.