Ushakov: Russia expects from Ukraine clear signal on proposed ambassador candidacy
MOSCOW. Aug 5 (Interfax) - Moscow expects from Kyiv a final response on the proposed candidacy of the Russian ambassador; an official request for an agrement will be sent in the event of a positive signal, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said.
"They should confirm if this position of Kyiv is final, or if we will get some additional nuances in this context. That is, we will be expecting a clear signal from Kyiv, and if we get confirmation of Ukraine's readiness to react positively to the candidacy proposed by us, we will then send an official request to Kyiv for an agrement," Ushakov told reporters.
"If Ukraine prefers a lowered level of diplomatic missions, it will probably be so," he said.
Countries usually do not discuss such issues in public, Ushakov said. "As a rule, the public is informed about the name of a new ambassador only after an agrement is obtained from the host country. We believe - and this is our principled position - that the diplomatic missions in Kyiv and Moscow should be led by ambassadors," he said.
The first response from Ukraine came "within the framework of official communication, but, as you know, it was also made public in the media: everyone is aware of Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Olena Zerkal's and Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin's public remarks," Ushakov said.