Moscow demands halt to military action in Ukrane's southeast - Russian Foreign Ministry

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The Russian Foreign Ministry says it is outraged by operations the Kiev authorities launched in the southeastern part of Ukraine early on Saturday. "The situation around Slavyansk in the Donetsk region dramatically worsened in the early hours of May 17. Ukrainian troops supported by aviation once again attempted to storm the city. This time, civilian installations were shelled by heavy artillery. Some people were wounded. A real threat to peaceful civilian lives was created. All this provokes Russia's rightful outrage," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.



"We are insisting once again on the immediate stoppage of military actions by Kiev in the southeastern part of Ukraine," it said.
"Such punitive actions against their own citizens show the hypocrisy of the Kiev authorities who falsely declare their willingness to comply with the provisions of the Geneva Declaration concluded on April 17, 2014 and with the road map, developed by the OSCE," the Foreign Ministry said.

"The question also arises can the [presidential] election truly meet the democratic norms of the electoral process, when it is carried out against the backdrop of the continuing military crisis in Ukraine?" the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.

Russia calls for West to talk Kiev into launching peace talks in the country
The Russian Foreign Ministry expects that the West will have a "drastic influence" upon Kiev to encourage reconciliation in the country. Moscow doesn't want an ostentatious approach but a straightforward demonstration of willingness to find a solution.

On Saturday night the situation around Slavyansk, in the Donetsk region, ratcheted up sharply. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Ukrainian military, with the air support, once again attempted to storm the city, heavy artillery is bombarding civilian buildings; several people are injured.

" There's a real threat to the lives of civilians. All this arouses rightful indignation in Russia," the report of the Foreign Ministry reads.
"Saber-rattling" arouses a particular bewilderment, since it is today that the second "round table" discussion on ways out of the political crisis in Ukraine is taking place in Kharkov,” the Foreign Ministry says.
"It seems that the self-proclaimed Ukrainian authorities simply use this forum to cover up their aggressive actions,” the statement says. "We hope that our Western partners will have a drastic influence on Kiev in order to start a real, not ostentatious work on moving towards national reconciliation in the country," the message of the Foreign Ministry reads.