Russia needs global agreement on Ukraine, ceasefire, settlement agreement don't work - Lavrov

MOSCOW. Sept 17 (Interfax) - Russia insists on a global agreement on Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

It was only when Russia "had to respond to the request of the new republics, which declared their independence at referenda, Mr. Guterres noticed something was happening in Ukraine and described the whole thing in one word: Russia's invasion of Ukraine," Lavrov said at the ambassadorial roundtable with the theme, "The Ukrainian Crisis. Compliance with Goals and Principles of the UN Charter."

"He said by the way that Russia rejected a ceasefire and insisted on a global agreement. Indeed, moreover that we have already had a ceasefire and a settlement agreement, first, in 2014 to set up a national unity government and hold elections, that was the settlement, everybody signed up for it, and Germany and France guaranteed those agreements. Their signatures were disregarded, and they seemed to gladly accept that," Lavrov said.

There were the Minsk Agreements, which also included a ceasefire and a global settlement, he said.

"Mr. Guterres made a statement literally yesterday. He said he was not optimistic about rapid progress in the Ukraine peace process and there was a need for an immediate ceasefire, which would lead to a settlement based on the UN Charter, norms of international law and the General Assembly resolution," Lavrov said.

"I have mentioned General Assembly resolutions and principles of the UN Charter ignored by Mr. Guterres, who believes that respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity is the only principle that needs to be honored, which means, and Europeans fully support him in this, Russian forces must be withdrawn from those lands," he said.

"We are not talking about territories, we are talking about the fate of people whose ancestors developed those lands for centuries and built cities, ports, roads and factories," Lavrov said.