Lavrov: Moscow offers Kiev to negotiate, not to capitulate

Russia's demands to Ukraine cannot be qualified as its surrender: Moscow proposes negotiations – as stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, RIA Novosti reports

Photo: belta.by

"I do not think that this can be qualified in this way [as an act of surrender]. It is not the term – that will be used – that matters here. We offer a consensus that will ensure the legitimate rights of all peoples who live in Ukraine – including all national minorities without exception, their equality," Mr. Lavrov told al-Jazeera TV channel.

"This should also be reflected in the legislation of Ukraine which now has a law on three indigenous peoples, as if there had never been Russians on the Ukrainian land at all. These are the kind of things that are already creating a legislative basis for further Russophobic policy – and not only Russophobic – against all other national minorities: Hungarians, Romanians, Poles, Bulgarians. We proceed from the fact that it is the Ukrainian people who will decide upon this. If the authorities agree to the conditions that are being discussed now, it will be a consensus,” the Russian Foreign Minister stressed.