Moscow, April 25 (IANS): Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Friday accused the West of attempting to capture Ukraine for its geopolitical projects.
"The West wants to capture Ukraine and this is being guided exclusively by its geopolitical ambitions, not by the interests of the Ukrainian people," Lavrov told a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) forum of young diplomats.
Even though the US and the European Union (EU) were gradually starting to understand the complexity of the situation, Lavrov said, they were reluctant to admit their mistakes.
"Privately, they express increasingly reasonable assessments, but since they have already publicly banked on someone, it's very difficult for them to play back," Lavrov said.
Lavrov noted that Moscow has been eager to assist in the de-escalation of tension in Ukraine as envisaged by the deal reached during the Russia-US-EU-Ukraine meeting in Geneva April 17.
Meanwhile, Lavrov accused Kiev authorities of not implementing these agreements and called on the US to convince Kiev to stop the anti-terrorism operations in southeastern Ukraine.
Kiev urged Moscow Thursday to pull back its troops from the common border following the announcement of Russian military exercises in response to Ukraine's "anti-terror" operation in the country's east.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same day called Kiev's operation "a serious crime," warning of "consequences" if Kiev used the army against its own people.
In Washington, US State Secretary John Kerry Thursday issued a statement accusing Russia of refusing to take "a single concrete step in the right direction" in the past seven days.