Remarks and comments by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a joint news conference after talks with South Ossetian Foreign Minister David Sanakoyev, Moscow, February 18, 2015

We have completed talks with South Ossetian Foreign Minister David Sanakoyev, which were very substantive.

We have considered the status of bilateral relations, which are steadily developing, based on the principles laid down in August 2008, when Russia recognized the Republic of South Ossetia as an independent sovereign state.

Today we have taken a new important step in formalising bilateral relations – by signing the Treaty on the State Border, which will help end speculation on the nature of ties between our states. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I would like to stress that our relations with South Ossetia and the Republic of Abkhazia will continue to be built on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

We have agreed to continue to bolster the legal framework of our cooperation, which currently includes about 80 documents. We have expressed our satisfaction with the ongoing work on the Treaty of Alliance and Integration, which will reflect new aspects of bilateral interaction related to defence, security, the social sphere and other areas of cooperation.

We have discussed our interaction on the international arena, including the participation of Russian and South Ossetian delegations in Geneva discussions on stability and security in the Transcaucasus. We reaffirmed the need for efforts to bring about the signing of legally binding agreements on the non-use of forces, which would preclude a repetition of the 2008 events.

This goal is especially relevant in light of the continuing attempts to drag Tbilisi into NATO. We agreed that this will not be conducive to stability in the Transcaucasus. If these steps begin to acquire a practical dimension (and from all indications, this is already happening) we will take measures to prevent the adverse impact of these processes on the situation in the region.

We exchanged opinions on the situation in Ukraine, taking into account the package of measures to ensure the implementation of corresponding agreements, which was signed on February 12 in Minsk. We noted that there is no alternative to the ceasefire. We believe that it should be comprehensive, including the so-called Debaltsevo trap, so that the implementation of all other provisions of the Minsk documents adopted on February 12, including the start of the political process and constitutional reform, begins without delay, in accordance with the established deadlines.

I am satisfied with today's talks, which, without a doubt, will help continue to deepen our relations of alliance and partnership.

Question: The South Ossetian authorities have submitted a draft treaty on alliance and integration for consideration by the Russian side. How is the process going? When will the treaty be signed?

Sergey Lavrov: We received the draft treaty from Tskhinval a few days ago. It has already been submitted for consideration by the departments that will be involved in its approval. There are appropriate procedures that do not involve any deadlines. We believe that the approval process won't take long. The Russian Government will make an appropriate decision, and we will begin the formal bilateral process to approve this document. I don't think it will take a lot of time.

Question: A Border Treaty between Russia and South Ossetia was signed today. At the same time, the media reported that the border between Russia and Abkhazia can be "cancelled". What would you say about the currently held view that Russia's relations with Abkhazia are closer than with South Ossetia?

Sergey Lavrov: When people talk about "removing" or "cancelling" borders, it is a figure of speech meaning the mutual focus on making the process of crossing the border between two friendly nations as comfortable as possible for individual travellers, economic activity, cultural contacts, etc. For example, there are almost no borders in the European Union, and citizens of the EU member states and the Schengen zone can travel free from any customs or other procedures. We want to have about the same arrangements with all our neighbours.

The Treaty of Alliance and Strategic Partnership that we signed with Abkhazia in November 2014 aims to ensure easy border crossing regulations for individual travellers. The Treaty of Alliance and Integration between Russia and South Ossetia has about the same provisions. The Border Treaty that we signed today is an attribute of any sovereign state, and the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Ossetia are such states. We are also working on border delimitation with Abkhazia in order to facilitate the signature of such a treaty. We had concluded talks with South Ossetia earlier, and have signed the treaty today. I reiterate that our relations with both republics are equally positive.

Question: Yesterday, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations stated at the Security Council that the Minsk peace plan is not being complied with, and hopes for peace have crumbled. What's your take on the implementation of this plan? To what extent the situation in Debaltsevo can hinder its implementation?

Sergey Lavrov: The Minsk documents signed on February 12 focus on a ceasefire and the beginning of the withdrawal of heavy weapons. The ceasefire is observed along almost the entire length of the border. In some areas, the militia have publicly stated their willingness to withdraw heavy weapons. The Debaltsevo Pocket is the only exception to this otherwise good picture, and we are appalled by what's going on there.

When the participants in the Minsk talks met on February 11, the first thing that President Putin suggested was to agree on the settlement of the situation surrounding Debaltsevo. Back then, he let everyone know that a large group of Ukrainian troops had been encircled, and that all efforts must be made to find a dignified way for the Ukrainian troops to come out of the encirclement, leaving heavy weapons behind, of course, because the militia will not allow them to leave with heavy weapons. Clearly, once the heavy weapons leave the pocket, they will turn them around and resume shelling of the towns and villages. President Poroshenko said then that there's no such thing as a pocket in Debaltsevo. Our further attempts to discuss this matter in order to reach an understanding and to resolve the problem have failed.

At midnight on Sunday, it transpired that the encirclement, just as we thought, did take place. The actual ceasefire line runs outside Debaltsevo, since it's controlled by the militias. As you may be aware, heads of the Donetsk People's Republic spoke at length about this. If it all stopped and calmed down, we could then begin talks on ways to lead the Ukrainian military out of this pocket. However, what we have instead of talks are the attempts to break through the encirclement from inside and outside by Ukraine's armed forces. Of course, militias respond.

We share the concerns about what's happening in Debaltsevo. We are convinced that in order to calm the situation, it's imperative to stop using weapons in an attempt to change the status quo prevailing at 00.00 a.m. of February 15. I hope that common sense will prevail, and saving the lives of those inside the circle will become a priority. Many of them are already starting to surrender and are treated well, as they are provided with food, access to showers and warm clothing. Your colleagues are working in this area as we are presently witnessing. I don't want to see political ambitions and someone's desire to show off as a tough guy to trump our primary goal which is to save human lives.

Let's not forget that Minsk agreements provide a comprehensive approach to resolving the Ukraine crisis, including the beginning of the constitutional reform with the participation of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics regarding the approval of their status by Ukraine. President Putin reiterated this at a news conference in Budapest yesterday. Let's hope that this process will begin, and the current situation in Debaltsevo will not be used for finding an excuse to thwart it. Such attempts have taken place in the past with regard to previous agreements, and we don't want them to be repeated.

Question: What's your take on President Lukashenko saying that Minsk is willing to lead the Ukrainian military out of Debaltsevo under its guarantees?

Sergey Lavrov: I have not heard President Lukashenko offering his assistance in withdrawing Ukrainian troops from this pocket. I think that any suggestions that will help to do so deserve support, of course, if the Ukrainian authorities agree to it. I think that if such a proposal was indeed received, the militia wouldn't say no. Once again, we invite everyone, including those who are now encircled in Debaltsevo, to cease fire. There are people inside this pocket, but let's decide their future through talks focusing primarily on human lives.

Question: Yesterday, following a telephone conversation with President Poroshenko, Vice President Biden actually threatened Russia with more sanctions or other measures, saying that if the Minsk agreements are not complied with, Russia will pay an even greater price for it. What's your take on this statement? How realistic is the scenario whereby the Minsk agreements are thwarted?

Sergey Lavrov: I take this statement as Vice President Biden's customary threat. Probably, what he wanted to say was that the United States will require Russia to pay the price, including by coercing the EU member states to toughen their stance with regard to Russia. Debaltsevo is just an excuse. Again, we sent a message about the need to settle this situation back on February 11. We were told that this problem does not exist. Now, it turns out that it does exist. I'd take this as another confirmation of Washington's non-constructive policy, in this particular case represented by Vice President Biden.

If I may, I'd like to ask the media to be more careful when providing coverage. Today, I watched the news, including from Debaltsevo, on the Euronews channel, which I have a lot of respect for. The way President Putin's visit to Hungary was covered caught my eye. The voiceover included an analytical text to the effect that the main question that's now bedevilling our Western partners is whether President Putin's visit to Hungary will help Russia to split the European Union. I can see you are smiling, and it gave me a smile, too. But this isn't funny. Next, it was mentioned as a matter of fact that this is Vladimir Putin's first visit to the EU after the Malaysian Boeing crash. It came out of nowhere, and this information is driven into the heads.

I hope that the situation "on the ground" will be taken objectively, and responsible politicians in the West will do their best in the interest of the Ukrainian people and their state, rather than continue to escalate the confrontation and prove their leadership using such statements.