February agreement key to resolve Ukraine crisis: Russia

Russia says the 21 February agreement between the government of the ousted Ukrainian president and the opposition should be considered as the key to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the country’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov has told EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in the Spanish capital Madrid that the 21 February agreement should be the basis for stabilizing the situation in Ukraine.

The agreement was signed last month between ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and opposition groups. Under the deal, the president promised to form a coalition government, hold early elections, and revert to the country’s 2004 constitution.

“Lavrov emphasized that the normalization of the situation in that country should be based on founding principles of the agreement about regulating the crisis in Ukraine on February 21,” the statement said.

Lavrov also stressed the need for the removal of “armed gangs” from the streets and the disarmament of those in possession of “illegal weapons” in Ukraine.

Lavrov had previously slammed threats of “sanctions and boycotts” against Moscow over its actions in neighboring Ukraine, saying, those who speak of bans are the ones that would “ultimately polarize the Ukrainian society.”

The US has repeatedly threatened Russia with sanctions over its actions in Ukraine specially its military build-up in the Ukrainian territory of Crimea.

Moscow sent its troops to Crimea following the green light of the Russian parliament to President Vladimir Putin, to use armed forces ‘to protect Russia’s interests in that region.’

Despite the 21 February deal, the Ukrainian parliament removed the president from power and named Oleksandr Turchynov, the legislature’s speaker, as the country’s interim president. Yanukovych has reportedly fled to Russia.