what are results of Geneva talks about Ukraine held today?
Geneva: Standoff persists over Ukraine crises as Geneva talks fail between United States, European Union, Ukraine and Russia to announce a joint statement in a joint press conference. Catherine Ashton of European Union and US Secretary of State John Kerry held a joint press talks after 7 hour meeting while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia held their separate press briefings. There were three press briefings instead of one joint Press briefing that is a norm of any successful international peace talks. “What is the results of Geneva talks about Ukraine held today?” this is a question in the mind of all reporters who were following this important event without any clear answer.
It also looked that Ukraine is not happy with the outcome of these talks therefore its delegation did not join EU and US leaders in their press briefing. No discussion to impose more sanctions on Russia, says John Kerry while briefing journalists. Addressing a press conference after the talks, Catherine Ashton and John Kerry who looked very tense were of the view that there was no discussion to impose more sanctions against Russia right now and more sanctions on Russia will depend upon Russian response about withdrawing of its forces from Eastern borders of Ukraine.
Kerry said talks were not held for resolving Crimea issue rather to deescalate tension in the region and other parts of Eastern Ukraine. Kerry also confirmed that Russia did not give any commitment over waiving off or delaying payment against debt of Ukraine for gas it bought from Russia. The total amount of debt is around 1.5 billion$.
Ukraine interim Foreign Minister also confirmed that Crimea issue was not major point of discussion. He held his separate press talk and was of the view that support of European Union and United States would help to minimise tension in the region.
Meanwhile, european press believes that Pentagon eyes more deployments of NATO forces to Poland as the standoff persists over Russian incursions.
Russian media reports that Russia, the US, the EU and Ukraine have adopted a joint document on the de-escalation of the Ukraine crisis. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in his separate press conference after talks in Geneva said that Russia calls for all illegal armed groups to lay down arms and a wide amnesty. The document calls for an “immediate start of a nationwide national dialogue within the framework of the constitutional process, which must be inclusive and accountable,” Lavrov said.
The most important agreement reached during the talks, according to Lavrov, states that the Ukrainian crisis “must be resolved by the Ukrainians themselves concerning an end to the conflict” including those related to “detaining protesters, occupying buildings” and, in the long run “the start of true constitutional reform.”
“Among the steps that have to be taken are: the disarmament of all the illegal armed groups, and the return of all the occupied administrative buildings,” Lavrov told journalists at the Thursday briefing.
“An amnesty for all the protesters must take place, except of those who committed grave crimes,” the Foreign Minister added. Lavrov said the document does not give any guidelines on the future political system of Ukraine.
“We did not use any terms… There are federations where the rights of the regions are limited, and there are unitary states in name only where the regions have broad authority,” he explained.
The goal of the meeting was to send a signal to the Ukrainians that they are responsible for stability in the country and must ensure that “each region can protect its history and language,” Lavrov stressed.
“Only then will Ukraine be a strong state, a proverbial bridge between the East and the West,” Lavrov said.
The OSCE’s (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) monitoring mission must play “the leading role” in assisting the Ukrainian authorities to resolve the crisis, Lavrov stressed, adding that Russia “will support” the mission’s work.
The Geneva meeting has given Russia “hopes” that “the US and the EU are genuinely interested in a trilateral cooperation with Russia aimed at convincing the Ukrainian to sit down at the negotiation table,” Lavrov said.
According to the Russian top diplomat, the Americans now have a “decisive influence” on the Kiev authorities, which should be used for resolving the crisis.
Russia “does not want to send any troops to Ukraine,” Lavrov stressed, answering journalists’ questions. Moscow’s chief concern is that the rights of all the Ukrainian regions, including those with Russian-speaking majorities, must be taken into account in the constitutional reform.
“We have absolutely no wish to send our troops to Ukraine, to the territory of a friendly state, to the land of a brotherly nation. This is against the fundamental interests of the Russian Federation,” Lavrov said.
Calling the recent NATO statements on Ukraine’s neutrality “unacceptable,” Lavrov stressed that pushing for changes in the country’s non-aligned status will “undermine the efforts to resolve the crisis” in Ukraine.
“The fact that Ukraine has chosen non-aligned status and enshrined it in its law must be respected by all and there should not be any attempts to doubt it or to erode its meaning,” the Russian Foreign Minister stressed.
Ahead of the quadrilateral talks, Lavrov met US Secretary of State John Kerry, while EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton saw Ukraine’s acting Foreign Minister Andrey Deshchytsa. Both meetings were held behind closed doors.
Even before the sides arrived in Geneva, they disagreed on the purpose of the meeting. Moscow insisted the talks should be focused on resolving the Ukrainian political crisis, while Kiev roundly rejected the idea of “the internal affairs of Ukraine being the subject of the talks,” including constitutional reform. Lavrov had stressed that all the regions of the country must take part in the reform.
