Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday warned Kiev against using force to quell pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine, saying the "criminal" act would undermine talks planned in Geneva.
"One cannot issue invitations to talks while at the same time issuing criminal orders for the use of armed force against the people there," he said on a visit to Beijing.
"You can't send in tanks and at the same time hold talks, and the use of force would sabotage the opportunity offered by the four-party negotiations in Geneva," he said.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday warned Kiev against using force to quell pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine, saying the “criminal” act would undermine talks planned in Geneva.
“One cannot issue invitations to talks while at the same time issuing criminal orders for the use of armed force against the people there,” he said on a visit to Beijing.
“You can’t send in tanks and at the same time hold talks, and the use of force would sabotage the opportunity offered by the four-party negotiations in Geneva,” he said.
