Poroshenko Should Neutralize Anyone Who Wants Civil War in Ukraine - Lavrov

News | 12.04.2015 | 16:03

Sputnik - Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko must confirm his peaceful aspirations by neutralizing forces that want to plunge Ukraine into civil war, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Rossiya Segodnya news agency's General Director Dmitry Kiselev. "I believe that if Petr Alekseyevich [Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko] truly is a President of Peace, the way he refers to himself, and if he was truly sincere while participating in the talks on the Minsk agreement, then he needs to stand up for his rightfulness and thus neutralize those who want to plunge Ukraine into a civil war once again, " Lavrov said. According to the Russian Foreign Minister, Poroshenko is currently trying to "outdo the radicals on their own territory," as showcased by the recent appointment of the ultra-nationalist Right Sector leader, Dmytro Yarosh, as an adviser to Ukraine's General Staff chief Viktor Muzhenko. "And this is the man who said, as early as on March 1, 2014, that a Russian will never speak Ukrainian, will never respect the Greek-Catholic faith and will never praise [late Ukrainian nationalist leader] Stepan Bandera," Lavrov said. He pointed out that Yarosh's statements were addressed to the people of Crimea and the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine way before the outburst of eastern Ukrainian region's strive to break away from Kiev. Members of the Right Sector movement took an active part in clashes with police and takeovers of administrative buildings in Ukraine in January 2014, prior to the February 22 government coup. On November 2014, Russian Supreme Court declared the Right Sector an extremist group and banned its activities on the Russian territory. Crimea seceded from Ukraine last March following the referendum on which 96 percent of its population, mostly Russian speakers, backed reunification with Russia. Kiev still considers Crimea a part of Ukraine.