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Russia says move to recognize Donbass would be counterproductive

Xinhua, May 31, 2016 Adjust font size:

Any move to recognize the self-proclaimed Ukrainian Donetsk and Lugansk republics would be counterproductive, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

Such act will not help the implementation of the Minsk agreements aimed at reaching a peaceful settlement in eastern Ukraine, Lavrov said.

"This, to say the least, will give the West an excuse to stop its current pressure on Kiev," Lavrov said in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda daily.

He stressed that Russia has no plans to abandon the insurgent regions, and it is going to support them not only politically but also economically and through humanitarian work.

According to Lavrov, Western countries are exercising pressure on Kiev to force it to observe the Minsk agreements, although they haven't made it public.

The top diplomat urged the Kiev government to commit to the Minsk accords.

The Minsk accords, reached in February 2015 in the capital of Belarus by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, outlined steps to end the conflict, which had left more than 9,300 people dead and about 22,000 others wounded.

The agreements include in particular a cease-fire, amnesty, the introduction of a law on special status of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, and details on holding local elections and implementing constitutional reform.

However, the situation escalated in Ukraine's insurgent Donbass region in mid-May, claiming new victims, with both sides accusing each other of fuelling tensions.

Meetings were carried out among leaders and top diplomats of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, but no progress was made to solve a crisis that has lasted for over two years. Endi