- Nineteen prisoners use cutlery to break out of cells at Winchester prison
- France wants progress in Ukraine before Russia returns to G7
- Italy president begins talks to seek way out of government crisis
- Italian PM expected to resign as political chaos deepens
- Russia says US cruise missile test ‘regrettable’
- Kremlin - No date set for Normandy talks on Ukraine despite Macron meeting
- Egypt court hands out 6 death sentences on terror charges
- Putin says Russian nuclear explosion poses no threat
- Russian panel eyes alleged foreign interference in protests
- Gran Canaria wildfire triggers evacuation of thousands of people
- PM Johnson calls on Germany and France to compromise on Brexit
- Sudan's ex-president Bashir arrives at corruption trial
Friday, 18 February 2022 (YJC)_ At the UN meeting, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister described the claims of the United States and its allies about Russia's invasion of Ukraine as regrettable and even dangerous.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Varshinin on Thursday accused Ukraine of violating a ceasefire agreement with the autonomous regions.
According to the Tass news agency, Varshinin said at the UN Security Council meeting:
Kiev's reluctance to enter into direct talks with representatives of Donetsk and Luhansk is the root cause of the problem. Such talks are set out in paragraphs 4, 9, 11 and 12 [of the Minsk Agreement].
The Russian diplomat added:
For the past seven years, the Ukrainians have not fully implemented even one of the data-x-items in the package of measures required to implement the Minsk agreement, including the ceasefire clause.
Varshinin further said:
Ukrainian politicians systematically seek to persuade the West that the Minsk agreement is in Ukraine's interests. If making peace inside Ukraine is in the national interest of Ukraine, there should be no room for such claims.
He also noted:
Ukraine stubbornly refuses to implement the provisions of the Minsk agreement and gives excuses for doing so. Efforts to blame Russia and acquit Ukraine are futile.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister added:
Mr Blinken has outlined a list of provocations that could be used as a pretext to attack Ukraine, and that is unfortunate. I can even say that these statements are dangerous because they draw more attention to this messy atmosphere.
Rejecting the claims of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Vershinin said:
Russian forces are on Russian soil and will remain there, and two units have been returning to their base for the past two days after completing some exercises.
Speaking at the meeting, Blinken said:
Russia must back down from its decision to go to war with Ukraine, announcing that it has no plans to invade the country and return to the negotiating table after returning warplanes and tanks to their bases.
He further added that Russia intended to carry out the attack and that such a move might be a real or fake attack on a neighboring country, which could even include a chemical attack.
Your Comment