MOSCOW, April 24 (RIA Novosti) – The United States can and must force the new Ukrainian authorities to realize their responsibility for what is happening in the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.
“I’m sure that our American colleagues can and must use all of their influence to force the current Kiev authorities not just to simply realize, but to really realize their responsibility for what is happening,” Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil.
Lavrov said he had no doubt that the US can influence those who announced themselves the current authorities in Kiev.
“A counterterrorist operation was announced immediately after an unannounced visit to Kiev by the CIA director, and then there was an Easter pause, which Kiev announced during this operation, which, in turn, was halted immediately after Vice President Joe Biden’s visit,” Lavrov said.
The Ukrainian Security Service announced Wednesday that it had resumed the military operation launched by Kiev’s interim government earlier this month against protesters in eastern Ukraine.
The operation, backed by the US, was launched to crack down on pro-federalization activists in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Gorlovka, Slaviansk and Kramatorsk, who refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the current Ukrainian authorities and demand referendums similar to the one held in Crimea last month, which led to the republic's reunification with Russia.
On Thursday, five people were reported killed in clashes with government military forces in the city of Slaviansk.
In a bid to de-escalate the ongoing conflict, top diplomats from Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union approved a statement on April 17 calling on the sides in Ukraine to refrain from violence, extremism and provocations, disarm militants and launch a national dialogue on constitutional reform.
Lavrov earlier said Kiev has failed to abide by the Geneva accords as Ukrainian authorities continue to arrest activists in southeastern regions of the country and violate the rights of journalists instead of implementing the amnesty agreed upon during Geneva summit.
