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The United States and Russia failed Sunday to reach a deal on Ukraine after talks in Paris, with US Secretary of State John Kerry calling on Moscow to pull back its forces.
The latest bid to resolve the worst East-West standoff in the post-Cold War era came after Russian leader Vladimir Putin unexpectedly called US President Barack Obama on Friday asking to pursue a diplomatic solution.
Washington and its allies have imposed stinging sanctions on Moscow after it annexed Crimea and massed thousands of troops on the borders of eastern Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the talks with his US counterpart Kerry in the French capital had been “constructive” and would continue.
After four hours of hastily arranged discussions, Lavrov said the two parties had presented their plans for a de-escalation of the crisis but failed to agree on what had caused it, reiterating Russia’s belief that federalism in Ukraine would be key to finding a solution.
Kerry urged Russia to pull back its forces from the borders of Ukraine, and said any talks on the country’s future must include Kyiv’s leaders.
“We will not accept a path forward where the legitimate government of Ukraine is not at the table. This principle is clear. No decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine,” Kerry told reporters after the talks.
The top US diplomat said both countries “have differences of opinion about the events that led to this crisis. But both of us recognize the importance of finding a diplomatic solution for the Ukrainian people”.
Kerry said the discussions with Moscow would continue “soon”.
Washington would work with the new interim leaders in Kyiv to ensure the rights of minorities and language rights, Kerry told a press conference.
Moscow’s plan would allow parts of Ukraine to declare Russian as a second official language and secure more independence from Kyiv — a move analysts view as a bid to weaken the authority of what is likely to be a permanent new pro-Western leadership.
“We are convinced that federalism is a very important element of the constitutional reforms (Kyiv must implement),” Lavrov said.
“We have to find a consensus, a compromise between the regions of Ukraine.”
Laughter despite high stakes
The two men met in the lavish residence of the Russian ambassador to France seeking to hammer out a plan to end the crisis sparked after the pro-Kremlin regime in Kyiv fell in February.
Despite the high stakes, the occasional sound of laughter could be heard emanating from their talks.
American officials believe sanctions imposed on Russia over its action in Crimea are biting and that the Russians do not want more of the same.
The US perception is that Moscow’s troops are in place not simply to intimidate Ukraine but also to be used as a bargaining chip towards some kind of endgame.
Despite the huge build-up on Ukraine’s borders, Lavrov has insisted Moscow had “absolutely no intention and no interests in crossing the Ukrainian border”.
Tributes to Ukraine’s fallen
Flashmobs took to seven Ukrainian airports Sunday, with orchestras and choir singers performing Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, also the European anthem, in tribute to the 100 people killed in the weeks-long uprising that ousted president Viktor Yanukovych and his pro-Moscow government.
Thousands of mourners on Sunday also visited Kyiv’s Independence Square, the heart of the protest movement, many shedding tears as they laid fresh flowers around makeshift shrines and barricades perfectly preserved since the street battles ended.
“I want my children to know what we went through and to remember these people who gave their lives for their future,” said Volodymyr, a computer engineer visiting the site with his two children.
A plan outlining how the crisis could be resolved has gone through a number of modifications.
Washington says Moscow put forward a plan on March 10 that has been substantially altered since.
The American ideas “include the need for de-escalation, the disarmament of” pro-Kremlin militias in Ukraine and the need for international monitors, the official said.
They also include calls for direct dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, constitutional reform and the upcoming Ukrainian elections on May 25.
At the heart of the US initiative is a commitment by Russia to halt its military build-up near its neighbor — estimated by US and EU diplomats to have reached between 30,000 and 40,000 soldiers in recent days — and to order its Crimean forces back to their bases.
Moscow has however so far rejected direct talks with the new, interim Kyiv leaders under the auspices of either Washington or some international contact group.
Russia further wants the constitution to proclaim Ukraine a neutral country that will never join forces with NATO — membership which Kyiv’s interim leaders say they are not seeking now.