Jen Psaki: the United States believes in a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine

“The United States condemns the ongoing clashes in the Debaltseve district and other cities in eastern Ukraine that violate the cease-fire agreement,” said State Department spokesman Jen Psaki, at a daily briefing, noting that according to Ukrainian authorities, the pro-Russian separatists have violated the agreement more than 250 times the day of its entry into force.

Another violation of the Minsk agreements, according to Psaki, is the denial of access to Debaltseve for OSCE observers.

Responding to a question from a journalist about why the parties do not recognize the failure of the Minsk agreements, Psaki reminded that Washington believes in a diplomatic solution to the conflict. "In the meantime, we continue to negotiate with our allies about the price of the conflict for Russia, which will grow if the agreement is not respected," the State Department spokeswoman added.

In response to the remark that the Ukrainian crisis is slowly developing into a conflict between Russia and NATO, the spokesman said that the United States does not look at the problem in this vein, although this view was voiced by the Russian side.

“We consider the Ukrainian crisis a conflict between Russia, pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine,” said Psaki. - NATO and Russia have a long relationship. However, the illegal intervention of the Russian Federation in Ukraine has caused serious concerns from the international community, including many NATO member countries, which also coexist with the Russian Federation. ”