Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that it is difficult to discuss anything with the authorities in Kiev after the murder of the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR),
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd September, 2018) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that it is difficult to discuss anything with the authorities in Kiev after the murder of the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Alexander Zakharchenko, however, this does not mean Russia's withdrawal from the Minsk agreements.
On Friday, Zakharchenko was killed as a result of an explosion in the DPR's capital of Donetsk. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that there were almost no doubts that Ukraine was behind the assassination. Kiev has denied any involvement in the murder.
"Russia has been and remains a country committed to the Minsk process. But also Russia has been and remains a country that has always said that Kiev was the side [to the peace process] hindering the implementation of these agreements. After this terrorist attack, it is probably difficult to talk about anything with the Ukraine. But I repeat - this does not mean that Russia is withdrawing from the Minsk process," Peskov told reporters.
According to the Kremlin spokesman, any negotiations are held to achieve some result, and "it is not quite sensible" to have talks for the sake of the negotiation process itself.
On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the assassination of Zakharchenko is a provocation aimed at hindering implementation of the Minsk agreements on settlement of the conflict in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas. The minister pointed out that under the current circumstances it was impossible to speak about holding the next round of the Normandy Four format talks involving Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.
