Statement by the MFA of Ukraine on certain aspects of the interview of Foreign Minister S. Lavrov

The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine drew attention to the statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov on Russia's intentions to accept the election results in Donbas.

We proceed from the fact that the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry had in mind pre-term local elections in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which will be held on 7 December 2014 in accordance with the Law of Ukraine. We recall that an agreement regarding the holding of early local elections is included in paragraph 9 of the Minsk Protocol of September 5, 2014, signed by the representative of the RF - the Ambassador of Russia in Ukraine.

Recognizing the legitimacy of any other election shall clearly contradict the logic of the Minsk agreements and imply that Russia doesn’t adhere to the implementation of initiatives as to peace in Donbas.

We appeal to all democratic nations of the world to dissociate themselves from supporting any election planned outside the legal framework of Ukraine, and condemn any steps that can destroy the peace process, as well as hinder the full inclusive national dialogue and speedy normalization of the socio-economic situation in Donbas .