MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. Bill cancelling Ukraine’s non-aligned status is an unfriendly step towards Russia and the country will take this negatively, Russia's Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Andrey Kelin said at Moscow-Vienna videoconference on Tuesday.
“This is certainly the evidence of orientation: what authorities in Kiev plan to do,” he said, adding that “this is an unfriendly step towards us, particularly in the current situation.”
“This will only make our relations acuter, we will take this negatively,” the diplomat said.
In his words, Ukraine does not meet criteria to join NATO, neither political nor economic.
“No prospects to join NATO are seen,” the diplomat said, noting that an armed conflict was continuing in Ukraine.
On peace agreement in Ukraine
The agenda of the meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine has not been agreed upon yet, Andrey Kelin went on to say.
“I’ve really heard the date — December 26 or 24, it was named in Kiev,” he said. “But I cannot say that the agenda has been agreed upon, because this process is very complicated,” the Russian ambassador said.
“The agenda coordination is not an easy task, Kiev moods are controversial and the reasonable voices that would call for the beginning of an inclusive nationwide political dialogue are practically not heard,” the diplomat added.
According to Kelin, the ceasefire is observed on the whole in Ukraine.
“The ceasefire is mainly observed. Shelling from heavy weapons has been stopped,” the diplomat said.