Talk between foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia due to ceasefire violation Donbas is not held – Kuleba

KYIV. Sept 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The telephone conversation between the Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Russia in connection with the violation of the ceasefire regime in Donbas has not yet held, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said.

"Despite the late hour when the conversation was initiated yesterday [Sunday, September 6], at first the reaction from the Russian Foreign Ministry was quite active, but then, this morning, we received a message that Minister Lavrov urgently left for a business trip. And it is not known when this the conversation will be held. As it turned out, he left for Syria. Therefore, I am ready, I am waiting for the conversation. I believe that when a Ukrainian soldier is killed in the East, the only side with which to speak is the Russian Federation. This is exactly the order the president gave me yesterday, to talk with Lavrov," Kuleba said on the air of the Freedom of Speech program on the ICTV television channel on Monday, September 7.

The minister also said what issues should be discussed during his conversation with Lavrov.

"What to talk about? It is very simple. The first issue is how the Russian Federation explains what happened. The second is whether it remains committed to the ceasefire. The third is to discuss preparations for the Normandy format meeting of foreign ministers, which should take place immediately after the meeting of advisers amid the shelling that took place yesterday," Kuleba said.