Ukraine hampering EU-backed roadmap for Donbass – Lavrov

Kiev is refusing to allow the so-called ‘Steinmeier Formula’ for resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine to “acquire some legal significance,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Tuesday, following talks with his counterparts from Ukraine, France and Germany. He noted that the roadmap, named after the German FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier, is supported by Berlin and Paris. The proposed settlement includes a “special status” for rebel-held portions of Donbass with general amnesty, OSCE-monitored elections, and lifting of a blockade currently maintained by Kiev.