Lavrov Europe blew its opportunity to mediate in the conflict in Ukraine -. Russia's foreign minister said the poor record of European governments in previous peace accords undermines their credibility as negotiators in a speech at a news conference on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Atlanta, US, on Friday, Lavrov said. "The Europeans want to include themselves in the negotiation process." "What's important is not what the Europeans want, but what added value they can really bring to the table," Lavrov accused European governments of not complying with agreements designed to resolve the crisis, starting with the February 2014 agreement between then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leaders. France, Germany and Poland helped broker the deal, which was meant to end months of deadly protests and clashes in Kiev. Yanukovych was ousted soon after, an event staged by Moscow caused Crimea to secede from Ukraine and join Russia, while also sparking an uprising in the predominantly Russian-speaking Donbass. According to Lavrov, France and Germany also failed to ensure that Ukraine implemented political reforms and granted special status to the Donbass within the framework of the 2014-2015 Minsk agreements that they helped broker. Lavrov also cited the December 2019 summit in Paris, where the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany reaffirmed their commitment to implement the Minsk agreements. The diplomatic process ultimately failed to produce a sustainable settlement. "Over the last 12 years they've had more than enough opportunities. By their actions, they proved that their record cannot be ignored the next time they seek to act as 'Arabs'." Lavrov said. Lavrov attended the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta at the invitation of the US, despite the objections of several European governments to Russia's participation.

Lavrov Europe blew its opportunity to mediate in the conflict in Ukraine -. Russia's foreign minister said the poor record of European governments in previous peace accords undermines their credibility as negotiators in a speech at a news conference on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Atlanta, US, on Friday, Lavrov said. "The Europeans want to include themselves in the negotiation process." "What's important is not what the Europeans want, but what added value they can really bring to the table," Lavrov accused European governments of not complying with agreements designed to resolve the crisis, starting with the February 2014 agreement between then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leaders. France, Germany and Poland helped broker the deal, which was meant to end months of deadly protests and clashes in Kiev. Yanukovych was ousted soon after, an event staged by Moscow caused Crimea to secede from Ukraine and join Russia, while also sparking an uprising in the predominantly Russian-speaking Donbass. According to Lavrov, France and Germany also failed to ensure that Ukraine implemented political reforms and granted special status to the Donbass within the framework of the 2014-2015 Minsk agreements that they helped broker. Lavrov also cited the December 2019 summit in Paris, where the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany reaffirmed their commitment to implement the Minsk agreements. The diplomatic process ultimately failed to produce a sustainable settlement. "Over the last 12 years they've had more than enough opportunities. By their actions, they proved that their record cannot be ignored the next time they seek to act as 'Arabs'." Lavrov said. Lavrov attended the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta at the invitation of the US, despite the objections of several European governments to Russia's participation.