Russia warns of ‘new round of bloodshed’ in Ukraine

Foreign minister tells US decision not to extend ceasefire has serious consequences

Municipal workers remove tyres as they dismantle barricades set up during the protests that toppled Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovich in central Kiev today. Photograph: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Municipal workers remove tyres as they dismantle barricades set up during the protests that toppled Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovich in central Kiev today. Photograph: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov urged a halt to

Ukraine's military operation against separatist rebels in the east in a telephone call with US Secretary of State John Kerry today, warning of "a new round of bloodshed."

"Lavrov stressed that the decision by (Ukrainian) President Petro Poroshenko not to extend the ceasefire ... unleashes a new round of bloodshed, with unpredictable consequences for the Ukrainian state," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

It said Mr Kerry had given assurance, during a call initiated by the US side, on Washington’s desire to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict but “acknowledged differences in the approaches on how to achieve this.”

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Reuters