Lavrov Labels Negotiations With Ukraine in Turkey as Positive

The Ukrainian delegation to the negotiations with Russia in Istanbul, Turkey, acknowledged that the issues of Crimea and Donbas have been settled, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said from Beijing.

RELATED:

Russia: Kiev Willing to Meet Russia's Main Demands

Lavrov acknowledged that it is not the final result of the negotiations, but pointed out two important facts emanating from this dialogue: the first one, the confirmation by Kiev to guarantee the non-nuclear status for Ukraine; the second, that the Ukrainian government recognizes that its security is outside the framework of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Stating that the negotiations were positive, Lavrov said: "We consider the results of the negotiations held yesterday in Istanbul as a positive development for the future." 

The Russian foreign minister noted from the city of Tunshi, Anhui province in China: "the unipolar world becomes a thing of the past", while "a multipolar world begins to form", in which no one "should be seen as a player in the background", being "all equal and sovereign".

The issue of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, in the Donbas region, in eastern Ukraine, one of the most sensitive issues in the talks, and the status of the Crimean Peninsula are untouchable for Russia.