Brussels, 05/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - During her meeting with Russia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov on Thursday 4 December, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini reiterated the need to implement the Minsk agreements in order to put an end to the Ukrainian crisis.
Mogherini thus underlined “the necessity for all parties to implement the Minsk agreements in full and to take concrete steps to reduce tensions on the ground, in order to move towards a lasting ceasefire and to find a political solution to the crisis” in Ukraine.
Mogherini and Lavrov agreed that the crisis in Ukraine had seriously affected, and continues to affect, relations between the EU and Russia. In a short press release, which does not mention Ukraine, Lavrov states that he and Mogherini discussed “different aspects” of EU-Russia relations, “including plans for the future”. This issue was “one of the main topics of the meeting”, according to the European External Action Service (EEAS).
The two leaders also discussed the Middle East peace process, the situation in Syria and the state of play in E3+3 nuclear talks with Iran.
During a speech to the OSCE, Mogherini reiterated that the Minsk agreements should “be fully implemented immediately.” “We must all work for a sustainable political solution to the crisis in and around Ukraine”, she said. “It is clear that nothing can be achieved without true commitment and constructive commitment from Russia”, Mogherini stated, saying that Moscow needed “to assume and exercise its responsibilities”. “A sustainable political solution also requires stepping up political and economic reforms in Ukraine”, she said (our translation).
Elsewhere, the Ukrainian presidency and the pro-Russian separatists announced a new truce in eastern Ukraine on 4 December. This will start on 9 December. Previous truces have not brought about an end to the fighting, which has already claimed over 4,300 lives. (CG)