RIA Novosti: Lavrov: Window of Possibility for Ukrainian Crisis Settlement Now Open

MOSCOW, October 14 (RIA Novosti) – The window of possibility for finding a solution to the civil conflict in Ukraine is now open, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

“Today, the window of possibility to overcome the Ukrainian crisis is open. Practical measures are being agreed upon and implemented on the basis of ceasefire agreements reached on the initiative of presidents [Petro] Poroshenko and [Vladimir] Putin. The question is whether the conflicting Ukrainian sides will manage to complete this path toward solid peace or they will be hindered by those seeking to use the tragedy of the Ukrainian people to try to show Russia its place,” Lavrov said.

On September 5, a ceasefire deal was signed between the two Ukrainian conflicting sides during the meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. The provisions for the ceasefire implementation were agreed on during the next round of Minsk talks that took place on September 19.

The memorandum is based on the May peace plan proposed by Poroshenko and the seven-point plan for settling the crisis in Ukraine outlined by Putin in September.

The military operation initiated by Kiev authorities in mid-April to suppress independence supporters in eastern Ukraine claimed the lives of 3,700 people and left over 8,800 injured.