Kyiv waiting for Moscow's assurances of not using its army against Ukraine
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expects public assurances from Russia that it doesn't intend to use its armed forces against Ukraine following the permission approved by the Federation Council on Wednesday for the use of Russian troops abroad.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is deeply concerned by the report about the approval behind closed doors by the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia of the resolution on the use of Russian armed forces outside the state. A similar decision of the Russian Federation on March 1, 2014 led to the occupation and annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol and caused an unprecedented security crisis in Europe," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in its comments issued on Wednesday.
The Foreign Ministry noted that "another carte blanche for the use of armed forces of the aggressor-state against the backdrop of the continuing aggression against Ukraine is seen as a threat to the national security" of Ukraine, as well as "a step that undermines the peace settlement" ahead of the summit in the Normandy format in Paris scheduled for October 2, 2015.
"In this regard, we expect public assurances from the Russian Federation that they have no intention to use the opportunities provided by the Federation Council's decision against Ukraine, that they will consistently implement their obligations under the Minsk Agreement and immediately withdraw their armed forces from the territory of Ukraine," reads the statement of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry .