MOSCOW. Nov 1 (Interfax) - Moscow is open to a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, however, the elimination of its root causes, rather than a temporary ceasefire should be on the table, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"Russia is open to a political settlement," Lavrov said in an interview with the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.
"However, this should be the matter of ending the conflict by eliminating its route causes rather than a temporary ceasefire," he said.
The root causes include NATO's eastward enlargement, threats to Russia's vital security interests, and Kiev's breach of the rights of Russian and Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine, Lavrov said.