Envoy Grushko: NATO-Ukraine Commission's statement counterproductive
The statement issued on Tuesday on behalf of the NATO-Ukraine Commission fits in with the logic of the enhanced NATO military activity in countries bordering Russia, said Russian Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Alliance Alexander Grushko.
"It is counterproductive and inappropriate because OSCE foreign ministers will convene a session in two days and discuss the Ukrainian situation in a professional manner, with due account of the role of the organization and its instruments," the Russian diplomat told reporters, commenting on results of the recent meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
In addition, "practically the entire [statement] aims at putting the blame for the Ukrainian events on the Russian Federation," he said.
Even the references to the Minsk agreements are given only for the Russian side rather than the Kyiv authorities, he pointed out.
"When studying this statement one cannot help but wonder why NATO was at a loss for words to condemn the ongoing bombardments of homes, hospitals, energy and other facilities by heavy armaments. They said nothing about the attempts of the Kyiv authorities to economically smother the LPR and the DPR although the Minsk protocol directly orders to take measures towards an improvement of the humanitarian situation in Donbas," the head of the Russian diplomatic mission to NATO said.
"And I think that even the good wishes accurately embedded in this statement, the appeals for Kyiv's respect for the supremacy of law and human rights, including rights of ethnic minorities, and for its promotion of a political dialogue, hang up in the air. This statement is another outrageous manifestation of double standards," Grushko said.
In his opinion, the ideological purpose of this document is to prove to the public that the decision of the NATO summit in Wales to step up military activity is correct and fits in with the new security conditions.
As to the NATO trust funds for Ukraine launched on Tuesday, the Russian envoy said that Kyiv is facing tasks which are quite different from the transition of its armed forces to NATO standards. "This is a dead-end track and it will not help Ukraine resolve its outstanding problems," Grushko said.