Russian foreign minister fears Kyiv may try to "forcibly suppress" east Ukraine protests
MOSCOW. June 19 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has told his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier that he is troubled by the Kyiv authorities' possible attempts to substitute the national dialogue by forcefully suppressing protests in the country's Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
"Concern was expressed over certain statements made by the Kyiv authorities that indicate attempts to substitute the national dialogue with the equal participation of all regions by plans to forcibly suppress the protests in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a press release following a telephone conversation between the two ministers.
The ministers also agreed that it would be unacceptable to deviate from the principles agreed upon in the April 17 Geneva communique, it said.
"The sides reiterated the importance of conducting a comprehensive and impartial investigation involving the OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] and the UN into all tragic incidents, including the massacre in Odesa on May 2 and the murder of journalists, and bringing those guilty to justice," the Russian ministry said.