Russia Says No New Talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov talks with President Barack Obama

Is such a strategy really in the best interests of the Russian people? BBC reports here:

Russia’s foreign minister has ruled out holding fresh talks in Geneva to defuse the Ukraine crisis, unless pro-Russian opposition groups are involved.

Sergei Lavrov added there was no point as an April accord between the US, EU and Russia had not been implemented.

He spoke after a Council of Europe meeting which was expected to support Ukraine’s plans for a 25 May election.

But Mr Lavrov called an election “unusual” at a time when the army was being used against the population.

Ukraine was ready to back a new round of talks in Geneva, acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia said, as long as Moscow supported presidential elections.

He later appealed for international observers to be sent to Ukraine to monitor the May election.

OSCE Chairman Didier Burkhalter said there should be a ceasefire in Ukraine ahead of the poll – as holding it was very difficult in the current situation, the AFP news agency reports.