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United Civic Party blames Russia for Ukraine crisis

The United Civic Party (UCP) on Monday accused Russia of providing support to separatists fighting government forces in southeastern Ukraine.

In its statement, the opposition party condemned "any forms of external interference aimed at destabilizing the situation in Ukraine" and said that it supported Ukraine's determination to keep its territorial integrity.

The Ukraine conflict was "provoked to a great extent by Russia," said the statement.

The UCP expressed regret that the countries that guaranteed Ukraine's territorial integrity in a 1994 memorandum "have proved not ready to fulfill their commitments." It urged the politicians who will gather in Minsk on August 26 for talks on the Ukraine crisis to "display political will and make decisions leading to an unconditional end to the war in Ukraine."

Future developments in Ukraine will be vital to the future of Belarus, warned the statement. // BelaPAN