Russian and US Foreign Ministers cautiously assess the situation in Ukraine

On March 2, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry met in Geneva (Switzerland) to discuss ending the war situation in Ukraine.

Speaking separately to reporters after the meeting, the two foreign ministers were cautious in their assessment that the ceasefire, which took effect on February 15, was on track. Lavrov welcomed “authentic progress” in complying with the Minsk peace agreement signed in Belarus on February 12, affirming that the ceasefire was being consolidated and that the parties were gradually withdrawing heavy weapons from eastern Ukraine.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (right) in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. (Source: AFP/VNA)

For his part, US Secretary of State Kerry said he hoped the meeting would help bring about the necessary change to end the bloody violence. He expressed hope that in the coming hours and at most days, the Minsk agreements would be fully and completely implemented. However, Mr. Kerry also said that the ongoing violence in Ukraine and the failure to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire were hindering the implementation of the peace agreement.

In addition, the top US diplomat also said that Washington wants to resume cooperation with Moscow soon, but believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is misunderstanding Washington's actions in Ukraine as well as the purpose of these actions. Secretary of State Kerry affirmed that the US is not involved in "color revolutions" and has no personal purpose in intervening in the situation in Ukraine.

Although the conflict in eastern Ukraine has eased somewhat, clashes continue in some places, causing casualties. According to a report on March 2 by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, more than 6,000 people have been killed since violence broke out in eastern Ukraine last April. Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said that although the parties have implemented and even completed the process of withdrawing heavy weapons, it is still too early to confirm this as a complete withdrawal./.

According to VNA