(VOVworld) – Separatists in eastern Ukraine are ready for a ceasefire but Kiev has to initiate the process, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks to OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier during their talks in Moscow. (Photo: AP)

Lavrov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that Moscow will introduce a resolution in the United Nations to implement proposals from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of backing uprisings in eastern Ukraine and deploying secret agents in the region, which Russia has denied.