In the wake of an armed incident in Sloviansk, a town in Ukraine's Donetsk region, Kyiv urged Russia to assist implementation of the Geneva accords.
Russia should remember the obligations, assumed under the Geneva
agreements, and “exert all necessary influence” on the
pro-federalization forces in order “to get the illegally occupied
premises vacated, roads unblocked, weapons surrendered and bloodshed
prevented,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary.
It also said that Ukrainian law enforcement services have launched an
urgent probe into an incident in Sloviansk last night, which left
several people killed and wounded.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry pledged to probe each media report
about the use of fire arms and about casualties, after law and order are
restored in Sloviansk.
The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier released a statement expressing
indignation over the armed incident near Sloviansk early on April 20.
“The Russian side condemns the militants’ provocation, which indicates
that the Kyiv authorities do not want to subdue and disarm the
nationalists and extremists,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
“The fact that this tragedy occurred after an agreement was signed in
Geneva on April 17 following four-party talks between representatives
of Russia, the United States, the European Union and Ukraine arouses
surprise. The agreement carries a call to refrain from violence,
intimidation and provocations. The Russian side insists on the rigorous
implementation of the commitment to de-escalate the situation in
southeastern Ukraine, assumed by the Ukrainian side,” Moscow said.
