The international deal to contain the conflict in eastern Ukraine is in jeopardy with both sides trading blame. Pro-Russian separatists remain in control of several government buildings they have seized over the past two weeks. The United States says it will hold Russia responsible and impose new sanctions “within days” if the separatists don’t withdraw. In Washington, a State Department spokesperson said Secretary of State John Kerry has relayed a new warning to Russia.
Jen Psaki: “The government of Ukraine put forward a broad amnesty bill for separatists to give up buildings and weapons, and has sent senior representatives to the east with the OSCE to help implement the agreement, and have called an Easter pause in its counterterrorism operations. He asks that Russia now demonstrate an equal level of commitment to the Geneva agreement in both its rhetoric and its actions. As noted in Geneva, without implementation, the joint statement is only a piece of paper, and what is needed is true de-escalation.”
Russia has rebuffed U.S. calls, saying it wants Ukraine to rein in right-wing militants blamed for a deadly attack on a separatist checkpoint over the weekend.
