14 May 2014 13:55

De-escalation of Ukraine crisis depends on Kyiv, not on Moscow - diplomat

BRUSSELS. May 14 (Interfax) - It is inappropriate to qualify the internal conflict in Ukraine as one fomented by Moscow; it is in fact the European Union and the U.S. that have had a hand in provoking it, says Russian Deputy Permanent Representative at the EU Alexander Krestyanov.

"It's [Moscow] that the EU is demanding de-escalation from, while this should be demanded from Kyiv, which is using the army and heavy military hardware to suppress popular demonstrations," Krestyanov said at an annual international conference titled 'Energy Dialogue Russia-European Union: Gas Aspect' on Wednesday.

The U.S. "is using Ukraine as a pawn in its geopolitical game," Krestyanov said. He called on the EU not to follow this example.