MOSCOW (AP) – Russia’s foreign minister on Wednesday accused Ukrainian’s government of dragging its feet on implementing last year’s cease-fire agreement as Moscow sought to press its point in a new round of high-level diplomacy.
Fighting in Ukraine’s industrial heartland, which has close ties to Russia, has killed more than 9,100 people and left large swaths of land under rebel control. Germany, France and Russia mediated talks between representatives of the Ukrainian government and Russia-backed separatists at talks in Minsk, Belarus, which resulted in a broad cease-fire agreement.
That has largely held, but none of the political elements, including calling a local election, has been implemented.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was hosting German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Moscow, told reporters that Kiev’s inaction is the main stumbling block to a peace settlement in the east. Lavrov said Germany had floated the idea of holding an election in the rebel-occupied territories this summer but Kiev said no.
“Minsk-2 cannot be reviewed, and we should resist attempts to undermine it,” Lavrov said.