MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) – The de-escalation of the crisis in Ukraine is completely possible, but attempts to legitimize the country’s new leadership must stop first, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.
“We believe that the de-escalation of the Ukrainian crisis is completely possible, but to do so it is necessary to stop imposing facts and stop the legitimization of the ‘Maidan government’ at any cost,” Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow, adding that dialogue with individual regions in Ukraine is crucial to resolving the crisis in the country.
The minister also stressed that Kiev must implement needed reforms that would ensure the protection of the legal rights and freedoms of all of its citizens.
“Of course, what is needed is a guarantee to preserve Ukraine as a non-aligned state. We are convinced that Ukraine, our neighbor and a friendly nation, must not be a point of dispute, but rather a link to ensure stability and cooperation in Europe,” Lavrov added.
Following months of street rallies, Ukraine’s Parliament backed by far-right movements voted in February to strip President Viktor Yanukovych of power. Yanukovych, who fled the country and is currently staying in Russia, called the move a coup and has repeatedly claimed he remains Ukraine’s legitimate leader.
Soon after Yanukovych’s overthrow, the interim Ukrainian government amended the constitution and announced an early presidential election scheduled for May 25.
The overthrow sparked concerns, including in Crimea, about the rise of ultranationalist forces in the country's central government. Moscow has described the events in Kiev as an illegitimate fascist coup and a military seizure of power, blaming the ongoing crisis in the country on Ukrainian nationalists and their aggressive rhetoric.
