The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has categorically rejected the Russian side's accusations that Ukraine is not fulfilling the Geneva agreements of April 17 this year.
“We categorically reject attempts by the Russian side to accuse Kyiv of allegedly not fulfilling the agreements and state that despite calls from the international community, the Russian Federation has taken no steps to de-escalate the situation and fulfill the Geneva agreements,” the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The ministry said that at the same time, “Russia strongly supports terrorist groups that operate in the eastern regions of Ukraine, endangering civilians, seizing hostages and creating an atmosphere of terror and violence.”
“The safety of all citizens who live in the state is a fundamental issue for the Ukrainian leadership. It means that the purpose of an anti-terrorist operation, the active phase of which was resumed in Sloviansk, is the isolation of illegal armed and terrorist groups,” reads the statement.
The ministry recalled that the leadership of the antiterrorist operation had demanded that gunmen immediately release hostages, lay down their arms, release all seized government buildings and stop the lawlessness.
The Ukrainian authorities are ready to grant amnesty to those extremists who have not committed grave and violent crimes. Political dialogue with peaceful protesters remains relevant for the Ukrainian authorities,” reads the statement.
