Russia's Putin, Germany's Merkel discuss Ukraine over phone - Kremlin
23 February 2014, 18:44
Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had a telephone discussion about the situation in Ukraine, the press service of the Kremlin stated Sunday. 'The latest developments of the situation in Ukraine were discussed,' the press-service said. The conversation took place at the initiative of the German side.
Massive riots resumed in Kiev on Tuesday, February 18. Aggressive crowds tried to approach the Parliament of Ukraine, radicals broke into the buildings in the center of Kiev, burned tires, threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the police. According to the Ministry of Health, the confrontation in the capital killed 82 people, injured nearly 650.
Apart from that, Merkel congratulated Putin on the success of the Winter Olympics in Sochi and the results achieved by Russian athletes. Russian team set up a record at the Olympics in Sochi at both overall ranking and the number of gold medals. In addition, the record of the USSR team in the total number of medals was surpassed, while that of the number of gold medals was repeated. In total, the Russians won 33 medals: 13 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze.
Putin, Obama hold 'constructive' talks on Ukraine
US President Barack Obama had a 'constructive' phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday and agreed it was important that Ukraine's peace agreement be implemented quickly and that its economy is stabilized, a senior State Department official said on Friday.
'They exchanged views on the need to implement quickly the political agreement reached today in Kiev, the importance of stabilizing the economic situation and undertaking necessary reforms, and the need for all sides to refrain from further violence,' the White House said in a statement.
In addition to the Obama-Putin conversation, Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with the three leading Ukrainian opposition leaders while Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel chatted with the Ukrainian defense minister Friday.
Obama and Putin, who have clashed over the ongoing civil war in Syria, once again found themselves at odds over the situation in the Ukraine as the crisis flared up in recent days.
Punctuating Yanukovych's tenuous grip on power, Ukraine's parliament voted on Friday to allow the release of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has been imprisoned for more than two years.
As Obama prepared to speak with Putin, White House press secretary Jay Carney highlighted the shared interests the United States and Russia have in restoring stability to Ukraine.
'The fact of the matter is, it is in Russia's interest for the violence to end in Ukraine as it is in the interest of the United States and our European friends,' Carney told reporters Friday. 'We welcome the cessation of violence, and we welcome the agreements that have been reached.'
Russia, EU to cooperate on settling crisis in Ukraine amid respect for its sovereignty – Moscow
Russia, EU to carry on cooperating to settle crisis in Ukraine amid respect for country's sovereignty and powers of its legitimate government, said Russian Foreign Ministry.
Constitution reform draft must be put to nationwide referendum, said statement by Russian Foreign Ministry.
No Russian envoy Vladimir Lukin's signature on Ukraine crisis settlement document doesn't mean Russia not interested in compromise, it said.
Russian FM Lavrov urges EU condemn radicals responsible for Ukraine violence
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the Ukraine peace deal with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and urged the EU to condemn 'radicals' responsible for violence, the ministry said on Friday.
A ministry statement said Lavrov and Ashton had discussed the deal 'and the prospects for its implementation in the conditions of continuing activity by extremist forces.'
Russian envoy Lukin says questions remain about Ukraine peace deal
A Russian envoy sent to Kiev by President Vladimir Putin said talks to resolve Ukraine's crisis produced progress, but indicated Moscow had questions about the EU-brokered peace deal and confirmed he did not sign it, Interfax reported on Friday.
'Certain questions still remain, consultations will continue, this is a normal process,' Interfax quoted Vladimir Lukin as saying after returning to Moscow.
Consultations over resolution of the situation in Ukraine will continue, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Vladimir Lukin said after returning to Moscow from Kiev.
'We talked. We clarified each other's positions. We shall continue consultations. In this sense, there is certainly progress,' Lukin told Interfax on Friday night. I did not sign the agreement settling the Ukrainian crisis, he said. 'No, I did not. Several issues remain. Consultations will continue, it is a normal process,' Lukin said.
'I do not know, it will be decided here, in Moscow, in a calm atmosphere,' Lukin said when asked about plans to visit Kiev again.
'Dialogue will definitely continue. But who will continue it, how and in what sequence, that is a technical and diplomatic matter that will be discussed,' he said.
'There is a chance of achieving peace in Ukraine. People are working on it. But the situation there is very complicated and quite fluid, people you have to talk too are coming and going. The conversation will continue, including with our partners in Europe,' the ombudsman said.
Russia's Lukin didn't sign document on outcome of Ukrainian gov't, opposition, and EU officials talks
Russian ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, who was sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kiev to act as a mediator in the negotiations between the Ukrainian government and representatives of the opposition and the EU countries, refused to sign the final document on the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine, said a source close to the negotiation process.
Voice of Russia, Reuters, Interfax, RIA
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
