Germany urges Russia, Ukraine to hold direct talks Sun Jun 8, 2014 ======= German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has urged Russia and Ukraine to hold direct talks to help defuse the crisis in Ukraine. Steinmeier told the German Sunday newspaper Tagesspiegel that only direct and substantial negotiations between the two countries would end the bloody crisis. “... there can only then be real progress when there are direct, substantial talks between Moscow and Kiev,” he said. The German minister ruled out any immediate resolution of the crisis that has created breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine. He also urged Kiev to be cautious in its military operations in eastern Ukraine, which have left dozens of civilians dead. Steinmeier called for mutual cooperation between Russia and Ukraine in a bid to secure the safety of common borders and asked Moscow to help restore stability in Ukraine. On June 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin briefly met with his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko in Normandy, France, where he attended the commemoration events for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion by the Allied forces in the World War II. Poroshenko said this could be the beginning of a negotiation on a ceasefire between Kiev government forces and the pro-Russia activists in the eastern regions of the country. Putin also welcomed Poroshenko’s position that the bloodshed “should be immediately stopped,” and urged the Ukrainian authorities to halt the “punitive” military operations as a prerequisite for talks between Kiev and pro-Russia protesters. Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking parts in the east have been the scene of deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations in the region in mid-April. Poroshenko had previously ruled out negotiations with the pro-Russians, vowing to continue military operations in the country’s southeastern provinces.
Posted on: Sun, 08 Jun 2014 19:16:34 +0000
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