ST. PETERSBURG, May 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is sincerely interested in the de-escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov said Friday.
"We are sincerely interested in de-escalation and stabilization of the situation in Ukraine," Meshkov said at the Russian-Italian business breakfast at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
Meshkov stressed that "it was not Russia who gave start to this Ukrainian crisis."
"We are surprised to see that someone thinks Russia is to blame for the events, which are now happening in that country," the Russian diplomat said.
The resolution of the situation in Ukraine will facilitate the relations between Moscow and Brussels, as well as other countries of the European Union, including Italy, in particular for the sake of development of bilateral economic relations, according to Deputy Foreign Minister.
Russo-British Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman Roger Munnings earlier said that the presidential election in Ukraine scheduled for May 25 might help to start an international dialogue on how to solve the crisis in the country.
Tensions between Russia and the West rose after the ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in February, followed by the rise to power of Ukrainian nationalist politicians in the new government in Kiev, which Moscow considers as illegitimate.
The official signal of the crumbling of relations between Russia and the West came when on the sidelines of the nuclear security summit in The Hague on March 24 G7 leaders suspended the work of the G8 and refused to participate in the G8 meeting in Sochi, scheduled for early June.
The move came in response to the Russian policy concerning the events in Ukraine and Crimea’s reunification with Russia.
The US and the EU have imposed targeted sanctions against a number of Russian officials, freezing their assets and banning them from obtaining visas.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that the language of sanctions is "inappropriate and counterproductive" and warned its Western partners about the "boomerang effect" that sanctions would have.
