Ukraine's new draft agreement different to document proposed in Istanbul: Russian FM

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that the draft agreement submitted by Ukraine on Wednesday demonstrated a shift in Kyiv's negotiating positions.

"Yesterday, the Ukrainian side presented its draft agreement to the negotiating team. It showed a departure from key provisions which were presented at the meeting in Istanbul on March 29," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement citing Lavrov.

According to the minister, the previous document clearly stated that Ukraine's security guarantees would not apply to Crimea and Sevastopol, but this principle was absent in the revised draft.

Lavrov added that Moscow would nonetheless continue the negotiation process promoting its agreement, which includes the country's key demands.