Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov's comments in an "El Pais" supplement provided by "Rossiyskaya gazeta," via ITAR-TASS:
"Our position is absolutely clear: We want peace in Ukraine that can be achieved only through a wide, nationwide dialogue, involving all the country's regions and political forces," the minister said. Russia, the United States, European Union and Ukraine had reached the relevant agreement in Geneva on April 17, he added.
Lavrov said the Russian side was providing "active assistance in the creation of favorable conditions for the peaceful solution of serious problems Ukraine is facing."
Kyiv authorities claim that militants in eastern Ukraine have curbed attacks on ATO (counterterrorism) forces and stepped up attacks on noncombatants, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports. The intent is "to discredit ATO forces and intimidate the Donbas public, the military said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that new European sanctions against Moscow will undermine efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine but that the "point of no return" has not been passed in Russia-EU relations.
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper "El Pais" posted on the Foreign Ministry website on September 17, Lavrov said the sanctions "send a signal of direct support to the party of war in Kyiv."
But he said he was confident that what he called the "safety net" in Russia-EU relations would "enable us not only to restore the pre-conflict status quo but to move forward."
For this, he said the EU and the United States "should finally listen to the voice of reason and break this senseless, vicious circle" of tit-for-tat sanctions.
Lavrov said a cease-fire between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists "is being observed on the whole."
A Russian lawmaker is pressing for information about soldiers he suspects were killed in the conflict in eastern UKraine.
Lev Shlosberg, a newspaper publisher and deputy in the Pskov city assembly, sent an official petition to the chief military prosecutor yesterday listing 12 servicemen who died away from their posts between July and September.
He asked prosecutors to investigate where they died, under what circumstances, and whether their deployment violated the constitution.
He said the list of 12 names "is evidently incomplete, unfortunately."
Shlosberg has been instrumental in building evidence suggesting Russian soldiers have died in eastern Ukraine, despite Moscow's denials that it has sent troops to support pro-Russian separatists in a conflict that has killed more than 3,000 people since April.
Shlosberg was badly beaten by unidentified assailants after his newspaper published an investigation into the funerals of two paratroopers in late August.
Ukraine Today video shows Serbs fighting for pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. One of them insists "I think Russia will win" and acknowledges fighting alongside Russian troops, although recall that Moscow insists it has no troops there and it's "not a party" to the conflict.
h/t: @timjudah1
Our wrap-up of the days events via the newsroom. This will also conclude our live blogging for Tuesday, September 16.
Ukraine Seals EU Pact, Offers Rebel East 'Special Status'
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has issued a statement reacting to Russian Defense Minister Shoigu's assertion today on the deployment of a "complete and self-sufficient military grouping in the direction of Crimea." (Translation by RFE/RL Central Newsroom)
Since it created a "gray zone" on the sovereign territory of Ukraine that is de facto not covered by current multilateral agreements in the area of arms control, the Russian Federation has continued to increase its military presence in Crimea and create military strike groups there with unclear objectives. The minister cited the reasons for such military preparations -- an increase in foreign military presence near the Russian borders and a worsening of the situation in Ukraine -- that don't withstand scrutiny, especially in contravention of an agreement to end the use of weapons in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine regards S. Shoigu's statement as destabilizing the situation in the whole Black Sea region.
We urge the Russian Federation to stop provocative actions that threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and peace in the region.