Lavrov said how much longer he is ready to tolerate Zelensky’s antics

The Kremlin is waiting for Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to finish forming his team and for parliamentary elections to take place in the country, after which Kyiv will be able to clearly formulate its position on resolving the conflict in Donbass.

This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov within the framework of the international forum “Primakov Readings” in Moscow, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.

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According to the diplomat, the main thing Kyiv needs to do to resolve the conflict is to begin implementing the Minsk agreements.

“We are waiting for his policy to take shape on all issues of international life, because it is not only the Ukrainian settlement that interests Ukraine’s partners. We are waiting for his team to be formed.

So far, as you know, in anticipation of the upcoming parliamentary elections in July, all attention is focused on preparing for them, and the team, as such, has not yet been formed.

The specific positions of the new Ukrainian leadership have not acquired concrete outlines.

But, as for the Ukrainian settlement, in order to achieve progress, only one thing needs to be done - implement Security Council Resolution 2202, which unanimously approved the Minsk agreements, which very clearly outline the actions that the parties to the conflict - Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk, and the sequence of these actions,” Lavrov said.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the main culprit for Minsk’s slippage was the ex-president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, who flirted with the nationalists.

“The Normandy format at the highest level twice – in 15 and 16 – discussed ways to bring efforts to implement the Minsk agreements out of the impasse in which they found themselves, first of all, due to the positions taken by President Poroshenko, who immediately after how he signed the Minsk agreements, began to act from the position of appeasing national radicals who criticized these agreements, and turned out to be unable to defend his signature as a politician, as the president of the country.

Although, he continued to make all sorts of incantations that he was committed to the Minsk agreements, but Russia must implement them. The European Union, by the way, found a unique way to support the Minsk agreements - it made a decision, which still remains a mantra and which is that the European Union really wants to lift the sanctions, but this will be done as soon as Russia implements the Minsk agreements.

Thus, the European Union has been sending a signal to President Poroshenko all these years: “do not comply with the Minsk agreements and your desire for sanctions against Russia to be maintained will be fulfilled.” This is a position that is obvious to me,” the minister said.

According to Lavrov, the position of individual Zelensky administration officials does not inspire much hope: “I recently heard a statement from one of President Zelensky’s advisers. He also spoke in that regard. Practically, he said: “The Minsk agreements are important because they ensure the maintenance of sanctions against Russia.” This is why some forces in Kyiv need the Minsk agreements, not to implement them.”

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the Russian Federation is ready to meet in any format to resolve the conflict in Donbass: “We are ready to meet in any configuration, but we must not forget that the key mechanism for implementing the Minsk agreements is the Contact Group. This is the only platform on which Kyiv, Donetsk and Lugansk work together with the assistance of Russia and the OSCE. Without reaching agreement there, no progress will be made. The Normandy format cannot impose its decisions if the parties themselves do not agree,” Lavrov concluded.