The Ukraine crisis has entered a new and more dangerous phase after 11th-hour talks in London between US secretary of state John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, broke up without resolving the standoff.
The diplomatic failure sets Russia on a collision course with the West, with Moscow ordering further military deployments on yesterday and a contentious referendum in Russian-dominated Crimea set to go ahead as planned on Sunday.
The referendum, which will almost certainly result in a vote in favour of breaking away from Ukraine and union with Russia, will trigger the imposition of sanctions by the West on Monday.
During five hours of talks, Mr Kerry pushed Mr Lavrov to postpone the referendum. He challenged him over sudden Russian troop movements along the Ukrainian border over the past few days. But Mr Lavrov offered nothing in the way of a concession that would have helped reduce tensions.
Referendum
Mr Lavrov, at a press conference at the talks, insisted the referendum would go ahead as planned. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, "will respect the will of the Crimean people", he said.
After deploying 10,000 troops as well as heavy armour and artillery in border regions with Ukraine this week, Russia yesterday took further military steps, ordering six Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets and three transport planes into its ally Belarus, located on Ukraine’s northern border. The Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, had expressed concern over what he said was a potential Nato threat.
Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov met at Winfield House, the residence of the US ambassador, in Regent’s Park, London. The talks included a short break when the two went out for a walk in the park, away from officials.
Mr Kerry pushed Mr Lavrov to stop Russia taking steps escalating the crisis – creating “facts on the ground” – and instead open negotiations on alternative proposals for ending the standoff.
One proposal was for Russian troops in the Crimea to withdraw to their barracks and be replaced by troops from the pan-European Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Mr Lavrov, speaking after the talks, did not immediately embrace the OSCE proposal. "There is no need for an international structure in dealing with Russian-Ukrainian relations," he said. – ( Guardian service)