Russia expects Ukraine to uphold Minsk agreements despite gov't changes

Russia on Monday expressed the hope that Ukraine will fulfill its obligations under the Minsk agreements despite changes in the Ukrainian government.

"Certainly, we believe that a change of government and the head of government should not further impede what in fact has stalled for more than a year," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"The most important thing for us is that the Minsk agreements were signed by Ukraine's head of state (Petro Poroshenko), and we remain hopeful that Kiev will fulfill the commitments it has undertaken," RIA Novosti news agency quoted Peskov as saying.

According to the spokesman, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk, who announced his resignation on Sunday, did not make "any contribution to settling the Ukrainian crisis" or the normalization of Russia-Ukraine relations.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the West, particularly the United States, which according to him has decisive influence on the formation of Ukraine's new government, to make sure that Kiev fully implements the Minsk agreements.

Yatsenyuk's resignation paved the way for a government dissolution amid Ukraine's lingering political crisis, as President Poroshenko said on Sunday that he expected forming a coalition in the parliament if the resignation was accepted.

Other than problems in the political and economic areas, Ukraine's eastern Donbass region is still in turmoil. In this regard, the Minsk agreements were signed in February 2015 in the Belarussian capital, aiming to reach a peaceful settlement in the region.

Russia has been accusing Ukrainian authorities of not implementing the Minsk accords, while Kiev has criticized Moscow for allegedly supporting insurgents in Donbass. Endi