Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement on February 25, 2014:

In connection with the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on February 24, 2014, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine believes it important to emphasize the following:

An acute social-political crisis, accompanied  by violence on the part of the regime, demanded swift and effective action to defend the people’s rights. This was the purpose of the agreement resolving the crisis in Ukraine, signed on February 21, 2014.  However, the departure of the leadership from their posts signaled their unwillingness to follow the agreement’s directives, creating obstacles to their proper execution.