Astana, March 20 (IANS/EFE) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday hoped that Ukraine would fully respect and implement the Minsk peace accords to find a solution to the crisis.
Putin said at the close of the Eurasian Economic Union Summit in the Kazakh capital that he had "great hopes that the authorities in Kiev will fully adhere to the agreements signed in Minsk".
The Russian president stressed that "a real possibility for a gradual relaxation of the conflict" has been provided by the peace agreements signed on February 12, following negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.
Russia accused Ukraine of breaching the Minsk agreements after the latter ratified a law that granted autonomy to the regions controlled by pro-Russian separatist rebels under the condition of holding local elections under international supervision.
Meanwhile, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said that "there is no possible military solution for the conflict in eastern Ukraine," and highlighted the importance of reaching a solution through diplomatic means.
Nazarbayev, who has always supported the territorial integrity of Ukraine, stressed that any decision taken with regard to Ukraine has to be "based on the main principles of international law".
He added that his country supported the Minsk agreements, while he underlined that compliance by all parties was crucial.
A ceasefire agreement went into effect on February 15, while both Ukrainian forces and the pro-Russian rebels asserted to have withdrawn their heavy weapons from the line separating them in eastern Ukraine, as stipulated by the Minsk agreements.
The latest agreement came after another agreement in Minsk signed last year to find an end to the war in eastern Ukraine, which according to the UN, has led to the death of over 6,000 people since April last year.
--IANS/EFE
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