CIA Director Confirms Importance of Implementing Minsk Agreements to Solve Ukrainian Crisis

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported, at a press conference, that the Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, confirmed the importance of the implementation of the Minsk agreements, including on Donbas special status. 

"Both at the meeting of Presidents [Vladimir] Putin and [Joe] Biden in Geneva this June, and during the recent visits of US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and CIA Director Burns, in the course of their contacts with Russian leaders, at all these meetings, both the US President and his subordinates directly confirmed the necessity to implement the Minsk agreements, including on the special status of Donbas," Lavrov said at a press conference.

With the affirmation of its importance, the Russian FM also said that if the United States clarified their stance to Ukraine, the Ukrainian crisis would be settled faster. 

"If the US explained to the new defense minister and all other members of the Kiev regime led by President [Vladimir] Zelensky that this is the stance of Washington and it must be respected, all the more as this is also the position of the UN Security Council, I think that this would substantially speed up the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," Lavrov said.

Last April, Lavrov warned in an interview on Russian Channel One that "attempts to ignite a new war in the Ukrainian Donbas region will destroy the country."

US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said, "We cannot ignore the Russian aggression on Ukraine, and we know that there are reports of Russian military activity, and we will address our concerns regarding those activities."

The Minsk Agreements address the Ukrainian crisis and comprise 13 articles, the first of which is the cease-fire in Donetsk and Lugansk and the strict adherence to it.