Russia's terrorism accusations against Kyiv fantasies, pretext for military threats against Ukraine - Poroshenko
KYIV. Aug 10 (Interfax) - Russian accusations of Ukraine's terrorism in Crimea are baseless and a pretext for military threats against the Ukrainian state, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.
"Russia is accusing Ukraine of terrorism in the occupied Crimea just as pointlessly and cynically as the Russian leadership claiming there are no Russian troops in Donbas. These fantasies are only a pretext for more military threats against Ukraine," the Ukrainian president said in a commentary on Wednesday evening.
Ukraine strongly condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and therefore "rejects the practice of using any terrorist measures for the de-occupation of Crimea," the president said.
Ukraine is committed to restoring its territorial integrity and sovereignty, including "ending the occupation of Crimea," using only political-diplomatic methods, he said.
It is Russia who "actively supports terrorism in Ukraine" and with its provocative statements Moscow will not discredit Ukraine in the eyes of international community, nor secure revocation of "the well-deserved sanctions introduced by our partners," Poroshenko said.
"I urge the Russian leadership to concentrate on honest compliance with the fundamental principles of international law, primarily the respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and human rights. I also expect Russia to ensure proper implementation of the security aspects of the Minsk Agreements, including by using the Normandy format mechanisms," Poroshenko said.