Russia urges US to press Ukraine over Operations
… with … PressTV
– First published May 3, 2014 –
PressTV — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has urged the United States to use its influence to make Ukraine’s interim government immediately stop military operations in the country’s southeastern part.
According to a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov made the remarks during a phone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday.
“The minister called on the US to use all its influence to force the Kiev regime protected by it, which has declared a war on its own people, to immediately halt the military action in the southeastern regions, remove the troops, and release protesters,” the statement read.
During the conversation, the top Russian diplomat stated that chances “still exist” for de-escalation of tensions as long as Right Sector “terrorists” are curbed and all Ukrainian regions are involved in a nationwide dialogue concerning constitutional reforms.
Lavrov also condemned the Ukrainian army’s “punitive operation” against pro-Russians, calling for increased role of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in securing Kiev’s implementation of the Geneva deal.
Earlier on the day, Lavrov also held phone talks with Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson Didier Burkhalter. The two sides agreed to use the OSCE potential for fostering talks between the Kiev authorities and representatives of the Ukrainian southeastern regions, a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said.
On April 17, Kiev’s interim government together with the US, Russia and the EU reached an agreement in the Swiss city of Geneva, calling for all sides to ease the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine.
Nevertheless, a few days later, the Kiev government ordered a re-launch of its controversial “anti-terrorist operations” in the eastern and southern regions in a bid to root out the pro-Russian demonstrations.
Pro-Moscow protesters are occupying a number of government, police and other administrative buildings in a dozen cities and towns in the region, demanding integration into neighboring Russia.
Editing: Erica P. Wissinger
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Jim W. Dean was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews.
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