Ukraine dominates Council of Europe meeting
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ruled out holding a second international meeting in a bid to defuse the crisis in Ukraine, also saying it would be “unusual” to hold a presidential election in the country when the army was being deployed against the population.
In what could be a sign of Moscow preparing to question the legitimacy of the May 25 presidential election if it is unhappy with the process, Lavrov said: “In the situation where they use the army against their own population, it’s quite unusual.”
“This is not Afghanistan, this is a completely different situation,” he told reporters, adding that constitutional reforms promised by Kyiv’s new leaders would not be implemented in time for the vote.
Kyiv’s security forces have launched their biggest effort yet to dislodge the pro-Russian militants who have overrun the south and east of the country, reportedly seizing buildings in dozens of towns and cities. Both sides clashed at the rebel stronghold of Slovyansk on Monday, where four people were killed and 30 injured, according to the Interior Ministry.
Asked about a German proposal to hold a second international meeting on Ukraine, Lavrov said the agreements reached during the first round of talks in Geneva, Switzerland, last month still had not been implemented.
“We already discussed the framework of the possible actions of stabilizing Ukraine. We already discussed it, there’s no point doing it again,” he said.
“Of course it is possible, but we will walk in circles and we will repeat the same things and we will say again and again that we have to stick to the decisions which were already made — but it’s up to the Ukrainians to realize that it’s their country, that they have to live in peace between themselves.”
Lavrov was speaking after a meeting of the Council of Europe in the Austrian capital Vienna, where the Ukrainian crisis dominated talks, even though diplomatic efforts have done little so far to ease the crisis.
His words came as violence escalated, with Ukraine’s military seeking to regain control of swaths of the country that pro-Russian militia groups have seized. Kyiv and many in the West believe the separatists are backed by Moscow and fear Russian President Vladimir Putin is fomenting trouble to increase his influence in the region.
Earlier, in remarks to reporters in Vienna, British Foreign Secretary William Hague accused Russia of seeking to undermine Ukraine’s presidential elections.
“Russia seems to be intent on a course of preventing and disrupting those elections,” he said. “That is wrong, and I think there will be a very strong message from the great majority of countries here today that the Ukrainian elections must be allowed to go ahead.”
Hague said the doors to a diplomatic solution remain open. But he said any chance of breathing new life into last month’s international pact on Ukraine agreed to in Geneva would depend on all parties implementing it — including Russia.
The U.S., Russia, Ukraine and the EU struck a deal in Geneva that included the disarming of militants, the departure of activists from occupied public buildings and a Ukrainian national dialogue on constitutional reform.
Since Russia and Ukraine are among the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia, attended the Vienna talks.
Hollande warns of chaos, civil war
Speaking on French TV station BFMTV earlier Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande echoed Hague’s concern that Ukraine’s election should go ahead as planned.
“The main goal we have is that the presidential election should be held in Ukraine on May 25,” he said. “Otherwise, there will be chaos and civil war. Vladimir Putin wishes today that this election does not take place.”
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay voiced concern about the escalating violence Tuesday and urged all sides to do more to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.
“Armed opposition groups must stop all illegal actions, including detaining people and seizing public buildings in violation of Ukraine’s laws and constitution,” she said.
At the same time, Ukrainian authorities must “demonstrate full respect for the rule of law and scrupulously protect the human rights of all, including the Russian-speaking population,” she said.
Pillay also called for an end to the harassment of journalists.
Unrest has simmered in Ukraine since street protests forced out pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych in February. The interim government scheduled presidential elections this month, but pro-Russian activists in the eastern part of the country refuse to accept Kyiv’s authority.
On Monday, Ukrainian security forces battled pro-Russian militants in Slovyansk. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry quoted local residents as saying the attackers had shot at residential buildings and set them on fire. Militants blamed Ukrainian forces for the civilian casualties.
Flights suspended in Donetsk
With the unrest in eastern Ukraine, flights into Donetsk airport were halted for several hours Tuesday. Armed pro-Russian groups have seized a number of administrative buildings in Donetsk.