Explain The Minsk Agreement To British Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: We Have Different Interpretations

Meeting of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with British Foreign Minister Liz Truss. (Twitter/@mfa_russia)

JAKARTA - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov explained Ukraine's reluctance to implement the Minsk Agreement during his second meeting, saying relations between the two countries were at their lowest point for years.

British Foreign Minister Liz Truss visited Moscow to meet with Foreign Minister Lavrov, as part of efforts to defuse tensions on the Ukraine-Russia border, which have recently consumed the minds and energy of countries around the world.

"We thoroughly explained the situation around Kiev's reluctance to implement the Minsk Agreement, because the Ukrainian regime not only does not want to fulfill it, but also openly rejects it," Foreign Minister Lavrov was quoted as saying by TASS February 11.

According to him, Russia also "explained what steps we took to convince those with influence over the Kyiv regime, to get (Ukrainian President Vladimir) Zelensky and his government to carry out their obligations under the Minsk Agreement, enshrined in UN Security Council resolutions, "explained Foreign Minister Lavrov.

He added that Moscow and London interpreted the Minsk deal in different ways.

"We have different interpretations of the Minsk Agreement, although I don't understand how it is possible to have a different interpretation of what is written in black and white," he said bluntly.

On the occasion, Foreign Minister Lavrov also briefly discussed the relationship between the two countries, which was at its lowest point in recent years.

"The office of (British Prime Minister) Boris Johnson said you and your colleague, the secretary of defence, will be traveling to Russia to improve relations. If this is the real aim of our British colleagues, then we will certainly respond in kind, because we cannot be satisfied with a relationship that may have reached its lowest level in years," the senior diplomat said.

Foreign Minister Lavrov hoped Moscow and London would succeed in restoring the mechanism for bilateral cooperation, adding "communication between every international player should have added value for both sides, this is the only way to ensure a positive outcome."

"Such an attitude immediately leads to positive things, and the continued expansion of our trade, economic and investment cooperation, as well as cultural and humanitarian ties, is proof of that," he said.

"I hope we can follow these examples to establish normal interactions in other fields and restore the mechanisms of bilateral cooperation and various inter-agency ties that have been suspended for a long time and not on our initiative," hoped Foreign Minister Lavrov.

For information, the United States and Western countries are worried about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, along with the buildup of about 100,000 Moscow troops on the border of the two countries.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov branded such information an "empty and baseless" escalation of tensions, stressing Russia poses no threat to anyone.

Even so, he did not rule out the possibility of provocations being ignited to justify such claims, warning that attempts to resolve problems in southeastern Ukraine through the use of force would have the most serious consequences.