Russia to exert itself for peaceful settlement of Ukraine crisis

Russia is ready to do everything it could to persuade all Ukrainian parties to settle the crisis in a peaceful way, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sunday.

In a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Lavrov stressed that "actual results" of the settlement's progress could only be achieved through direct dialogue between the conflicting sides in Ukraine.

"Kiev seriously deviated from that and is clearly taking a course toward the violent suppression in eastern Ukraine," an online statement released by the ministry quoted him as saying.

He also called on the United States to use its influence on the Kiev authorities and persuade them not to turn to a military solution.

"The worsening situation in Ukraine was the result of constant attacks conducted by the Ukrainian government troops, which breached the Minsk agreements," Lavrov said.

Meanwhile, the minister accused Kiev of its failure to withdraw its heavy weapons from the contracted line in accordance with September's Minsk deal, as well as with the latest agreement made at the Normandy format dialogue by foreign ministers of Germany, Russia, France and Ukraine.

Lavrov reiterated that Kiev didn't fulfill its obligations in order to reach a peaceful settlement of the crisis, while a comprehensive constitutional reform and investigations into various humanitarian crimes were also ignored by the Kiev government.

The Ukrainian government and the insurgent leadership inked a ceasefire deal on Sept. 5 in the Belarussian capital city of Minsk, aiming at de-escalating the tension and facilitating the release of hundreds of prisoners-of-war.

The conflict between insurgents and Kiev solders has raged for more than nine months, claiming at least 4,800 lives.

On Saturday morning, the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol came under shelling of rocket fire, which killed at least 30 people and injured almost 100 others. Endi