Ukrainian Lawmaker Calls On Foreign Ministry To Develop European Security Proposals

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2022) The Ukrainian Foreign Minister should come up with its own proposals on security in Europe, lawmaker Yurii Boyko, the co-chair of the Opposition Platform - For Life party, said on Friday.

"We need to restore a direct dialogue with Russia, to stop repeating the mantra about 'entering NATO soon' when the reality shows that it is impossible. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has to develop its own proposals on maintaining security in Europe," Boyko said in a statement issued by the party.

The politician claimed that the Ukrainian government is using the threat of war to distract Ukrainian society.

"We need a dialogue with Donbas, fruitful work of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk. We need to pass laws stipulated by the Minsk agreements. But the authorities lack political will for action," Boyko stated.

Since April 2014, the Ukrainian government has been conducting a military operation against the self-declared republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Prospects for peace have been discussed in various formats, including during the meetings of the contact group in Minsk, which, since September 2014, has already adopted three documents regulating steps to de-escalate the conflict. The implementation of the Minsk Agreements has long been a stumbling block in the relations between Moscow and Kiev.

In December, Russia presented draft proposals on security guarantees in Europe to the United States and NATO. On January 10, Russia and the US held a round of the strategic stability dialogue in Geneva, followed by the first NATO-Russia Council since 2019 in Brussels on January 12 and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe talks in Vienna the next day. Russia-Ukraine relations were high on the agenda during talks.