MINSK. Feb 13 (Interfax) - Moscow is in favor of direct dialogue between Kyiv and Donbas as the only way to settle the situation in eastern Ukraine, Boris Gryzlov, Russia's envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), told journalists in Minsk.
"It was accepted" during the discussion held in the UN Security Council on Tuesday that "the intra-Ukrainian crisis can only be settled on the basis of the Minsk Agreements," Gryzlov said.
"Attempts to rewrite and actually substitute for the agreements - something that the Ukrainian authorities and some Western politicians are trying to do - are absolutely unacceptable. The crisis can be settled solely through direct political dialogue between Kyiv and Donbas," he said.
The Ukrainian forces have consolidated their positions, Gryzlov said.
"The Contact Group discussed the continuous breaches of the ceasefire regime on the part of Ukrainian units. It was noted that the UAF [Ukrainian Armed Forces] are reinforcing their positions in the southern segment of the [Donbas] contact line near Zolote and Petrivske. It was noted once again that bombardments by the UAF intensified after some personnel were replaced in the Ukrainian forces, which implies that newcomers to Ukrainian forces are not told to observe the ceasefire, but are trying to provoke responses. The participants in the meeting demanded that Kyiv enhance accountability near the contact line," he said.