Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday Ukraine's leaders must talk directly to separatists in the east of the country and should not treat Moscow as a party to the conflict, Reuters reported. "As the next step, we are calling for the establishment of stable contacts between Kiev and Donbass representatives with the aim of reaching mutually acceptable agreements," Lavrov told the lower house of parliament. He said the "party of war" - supporters of Kiev's military campaign against the rebels - had tried to exclude the separatists from peace moves and to "force the West to seek the consent of Russia to act as a side in the conflict." "This is a completely counter-productive and provocative line that has no chance of succeeding," the minister said. A ceasefire deal reached on Sept. 5 has been repeatedly violated and Lavrov and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier failed to overcome deep rifts during talks in Moscow on Tuesday. Lavrov suggested that despite the rift, Russia's "partners" accept that the Crimea peninsula, annexed by Russia in March, would not be returned to Ukraine's control. "Crimea is an inseparable part of Russia and we carry full responsibility for it," Lavrov said.
