MOSCOW, July 28 (RIA Novosti) — Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s peace plan aims at mobilizing Western support for Kiev, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.
“Then there was also the development of events which proved that Ukraine’s leadership sees in the so-called Poroshenko peace plan, first and foremost, an instrument of mobilization of the West’s support of those actions that the Ukrainian authorities took utilizing a military path, using aviation, artillery and other heavy weapons in order to gain military victory," Lavrov said during a briefing.
Lavrov added that “people are dying, international humanitarian laws are being breached.”
In June, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko unveiled a 15-point peace plan to de-escalate the country’s conflict. Lavrov pointed out that Poroshenko’s plan does not comply with the April 17 Geneva Accords, as it bears no mention to a nationwide dialogue. He said, however, that Russia favors the first steps made by the Ukrainian government towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
A week-long ceasefire was announced by Ukraine’s new President on June 20 and then was extended for additional three days. The ceasefire in the country’s east made a part of Poroshenko’s peace plan. As the truce was called off without a further extension on July 1, the active phase of the special operation in the restive regions resumed.
Independence supporters in the republics of Donetsk and Luhasnk had to leave a number of cities in the country’s east. The international community has repeatedly called on both sides of the Ukrainian conflict to end the bloodshed and meet for discussions the issue at the negotiations table.
