Kerry Meets Lavrov as Ukraine Sees More Russian Troops
Source: Bloomberg
By Kateryna Choursina and Henry Meyer Oct 14, 2014 10:27 AM ET
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Paris today as the government in Kiev accused President Vladimir Putin of sending more soldiers into war-torn southeastern Ukraine.
As shelling between the pro-Russian separatists and government troops pushed the civilian death toll higher, Putin said in Moscow that human rights organizations are turning a “blind eye” to violations there. Putin has said previously he has a duty to defend Russian speakers in Ukraine.
Ukraine, the U.S. and the European Union accuse Putin of providing weapons, financing and troops to the insurgents, an allegation the government in Moscow denies. The two sides have traded sanctions that have slowed economic growth in both the EU and Russia, causing the latter to flirt with a recession.
“The EU is under heavy U.S. pressure,’ Lavrov told a conference in Moscow today before the scheduled meeting with Kerry. ‘‘The EU should worry about its own interests and act in line with those interests.’’
Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-13/kerry-meets-lavrov-as-russian-troops-leave-ukraine-border.html