Russia urges Ukraine to negotiate directly with separatists in the East

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Kiev to negotiate directly with separatist forces in eastern Ukraine on February 3, while warning against blaming Moscow for the conflict, RIA news agency reported.

Foreign Minister Lavrov said Moscow supported the separatists but rejected Western accusations that Russia was providing them with money, weapons and soldiers.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. (Source: AFP/VNA)

According to Reuters and THX, the Russian Foreign Minister also accused the US of sponsoring efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine by military means rather than diplomatic means.

On the same day, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos announced that he had been invited to Moscow for talks with his host counterpart Sergei Shoigu in the near future.

He added that he had met with the Russian ambassador to discuss Greek-Russian strategic cooperation and confirmed that he had received an invitation to Moscow, without giving further details.

In a related development, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein on February 3 urged all parties to end the dangerous escalation in the fighting in eastern Ukraine./.

According to VNA