Ukraine talks must be held only by nations’ official representatives – Kyiv

KYIV. April 8 (Interfax) – Only official representatives can take part in the international negotiations over the situation in Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebyinis said.

“First of all, these should be talks among official representatives of Ukraine, Russia, as well as the European Union and the United States,” Perebyinis told reporters on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian government repeatedly expressed its willingness to reflect the views of all Ukrainians from all of the country’s regions, “which is exactly why preparations are being made for constitutional reform that will take these issues into account,” he recalled.

“But when it comes to talks of this level, these must involve the official state representatives,” the spokesman said.

It was reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed a wish for representatives from Ukraine’s southern and eastern regions to be represented at multilateral consultations over the Ukrainian crisis. “We are for the south and east of Ukraine to be represented at the forthcoming events,” he told a press conference.