Russia, Germany urge all parties to focus on peace process in Ukraine

Russia and Germany on Monday called on all parties to focus on the implementation of the Minsk agreements on Ukraine despite recent tensions in Crimea.

"I insist on concentrating on the return of the whole situation in all of its aspects, including security and political settlement, to the continuation and the essence of the Minsk agreements," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a joint briefing with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.

Lavrov called on all parties involved not to "yield to emotion" and "extreme options," but to focus on stabilizing the situation.

Steinmeier, for his part, said it was necessary to stay on with the Minsk agreements.

"The Minsk agreements still remain our guideline for the solution to the conflict," said Steinmeier.

The Minsk agreements, signed in February 2015 in the Belarussian capital Minsk, are aimed at a peaceful settlement to the conflicts in eastern Ukraine.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have been escalating since Wednesday when Russian Federal Security Bureau said it had thwarted a series of terrorist attacks in Crimea masterminded by Ukrainian military intelligence. The Ukrainian side denied the accusation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to take additional measures to ensure the safety of infrastructure and citizens on the peninsula. The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday that an anti-aircraft missile regiment based in Crimea had received a new S-400 Triumf air defense missile system.

Lavrov said that Moscow was not interested in severing diplomatic relations with Kiev, which Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev suggested on Friday.

"It is an extreme measure," he said.

However, Lavrov noted that Russia would take exhaustive measures to "nip in the bud" any attempts of trespassing into Russian territory.

Crimea, previously part of Ukraine, was incorporated into Russia in 2014 following a referendum, which was recognized by Moscow but rejected by Ukraine and Western powers. Endi