Washington - The United States and Germany have warned Russia of additional costs if Moscow disregards it obligations under the Minsk agreements that call into question its commitment to supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict in parts of eastern Ukraine.
“Should Moscow continue to ignore the commitments that it made in Minsk and continue its destabilizing and dangerous actions, the costs to Russia will rise,” a spokeswoman for the US National Security Council Bernadette Meehan said.
She said that the United States condemns the illegitimate, so-called “elections” held on Sunday by Russia-backed separatists in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk.
“These sham elections contravened Ukraine’s constitution, the law on ‘special status’, and the most basic electoral norms. Both Russia and its separatist proxies had agreed to honor Ukraine’s special status electoral law when they signed the Minsk Protocol of Sept. 5,” Meehan stressed.
As US Department of State spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki earlier said, the United States will not recognize the authority of any individuals claiming to represent parts of Donetsk and Luhansk on the basis of this illegal vote.
Germany said it does not understand the official recognition by Russia of the so-called “elections” in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert has said.
“It is all the more incomprehensible that there are official Russian voices that are respecting or even recognizing these so-called elections,” the diplomat said at a briefing.
He added that the possible cancellation by the European Union of economic sanctions against Russia in such a situation in southeast Ukraine was ruled out and that the sanctions could be tightened if the situation in the region worsens.
Previously, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Moscow respects the choice made by people of southeastern Ukraine in the Nov. 2 elections and is prepared to further support efforts aimed at settling the Ukrainian crisis.
“The elections in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were well-organized in general and drew a high voter turnout. We respect the choice made by residents of the southeast,” reads the statement.
“In the context of these elections, it is imperative to take active steps to establish a sustainable dialogue between the central Ukrainian authorities and representatives of Donbas in line with the Minsk agreements. We are ready to work together with our international partners and continue to make a constructive contribution to the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine,” the ministry said.
