MOSCOW
The Ukrainians should be allowed to resolve matters themselves, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a press conference in Moscow on Friday after a meeting with his German counterpart Frank Walter Steinmeier.
"We believe Ukrainians themselves should find a way out of the political crisis," Lavrov said. "We expect all other countries to follow the same principle."
Protests have brought the capital Kiev to a standstill since early December, when President Viktor Yanukovych decided not to sign a trade agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia.
Lavrov also criticized the West saying "while speaking of freedom of choice, it is not correct to send uninvited envoys every day to Kiev to push the EU and the US agenda."
The minister also discussed the Syrian crisis with Steinmeier.
The German Foreign Minister Steinmeier said Germany may participate in destroying Syria's chemical weapons in the Mediterranean with parliament's consent.
He said that Germany had earlier refused to take part in the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons.
"We have changed our attitude. I believe we all need to shoulder responsibility for the crisis in Syria as it poses a big threat," he said.
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