Russia urges Kiev to start intra-Ukrainian talks

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday urged Kiev to start talks with all domestic parties concerned.

"The open, substantial and comprehensive intra-Ukrainian dialogue must start immediately to stop the fratricidal war in Ukraine," Lavrov said in an interview with local media posted on the ministry's website.

He said all outside players must exercise restraint so as not to derail the current fragile cease-fire in Ukraine, stressing it is up to Kiev to make a choice since no one should interfere in its internal conflict.

Moreover, Lavrov denied Western charges that Russia was to blame for the turmoil in Ukraine.

Russia is devoted to providing "assistance in creating favorable conditions for the peaceful solution of serious problems Ukraine is facing," said Lavrov.

The West has been waging an information war against Moscow without presenting any evidence of Russia's involvement in Ukrainian affairs, he added.

Meanwhile, the diplomat confirmed that Moscow would continue delivery of humanitarian aid to the war-affected Lugansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine. Russia has sent two humanitarian convoys to those regions without Kiev's permission.

Clashes between Ukrainian government troops and insurgents since mid-April have claimed about 3,000 lives, with hundreds of thousands of other people displaced.