Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers discuss ceasefire and local elections in Donbass

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Pavel Klimkin discussed the implementation of the Minsk agreements in the context of preparation of Ukraine’s constitutional reform; the organization of local elections and the observance of ceasefire in Ukraine by telephone on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said after the conversation, which took place at the Ukrainian side’s request.

“The sides discussed some aspects related to the settlement of the Ukraine crisis; the implementation of the February 12 package of measures (Minsk-2) to implement the Minsk agreements in the context of preparation of Ukraine’s constitutional reform and the organization of local elections; as well as observance of ceasefire and provision of security along the disengagement line between the conflicting sides in Donbass,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The sides paid special attention to the critical humanitarian situation in the region.
“The Russian side re-emphasized the insistent need to establish a direct dialogue between the authorities in Kiev and the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as a guarantee for finding mutually acceptable solutions to the existing problems,” the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.