Russia to make proposals to solve Ukraine crisis: Lavrov

MOSCOW - Agence France-Presse

Lavrov said he had invited US Secretary of State John Kerry to come to Russia for a meeting on Monday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. REUTERS Photo

Russia is to make a series of counter-proposals to resolve the crisis in neighbouring Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday, in response to a document sent by Washington.
     
"We prepared, together with members of the Russian Security Council, our counter-proposals. They aim to resolve the situation on the basis of international law and take into account the interests of all Ukrainians without exception," he said in a televised meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
     
Pro-Russian troops have seized control of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and the government there has declared its intention to join Russia, a decision it wants to put to a referendum on March 16.
     
Lavrov said he had invited US Secretary of State John Kerry to come to Russia for a meeting on Monday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine.
      
"We suggested that he come today, I think, and we were prepared to receive him. He gave his preliminary consent. He then called me on Saturday and said he would like to postpone it for a while," Lavrov said.
      
Kerry's reason for the postponement was that policymakers were in the middle of preparing their document, Lavrov said, according to the ITAR-TASS news agency.
      
The Washington paper, which Moscow received on Friday, details "a concept which does not quite agree with us because everything was stated in terms of allegedly having a conflict between Russia and Ukraine and in terms of accepting the fait accompli," Lavrov told Putin.
      
"Our partners suggested proceeding from this situation created by the coup," he added.
      
He gave no further details on the content of Washington's proposals.