Russia and US meet over Ukraine

(Vatican Radio) Russia has demanded a neutral and federal Ukraine, ahead of crisis talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his American counterpart John Kerry in Paris. The negotiations come amid Western concerns about tens of thousands of Russian troops who are reportedly massed on Ukraine's borders.


Sunday evening's hastily arranged meeting came after Russian leader Vladimir Putin phoned U.S. President Barack Obama Friday, amid the biggest East-West confrontation over Ukraine since the Cold War.


After Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula there are reports of thousands of Russian troops near Ukraine's borders.

However Minister Lavrov has denied any plans for an invasion, though he did not completely rule out military action saying Moscow would protect the rights of ethnic Russians.



"We have absolutely no intention of, or interest in, crossing Ukraine's borders. We only want for the work to be multilateral," he said.


"So [I mean] those riots the West are trying to cover up, and present the situation in a good and serene way. So all this would stop,"Lavrov added.


"President [Putin] demanded from those here in power in Ukraine now, and from their Western sponsors to take immediate measures to halt the riots," he said.

[The president] said that we will be protecting the rights of Russians and Russian speakers in Ukraine using all political, diplomatic and legal means at our disposal. We should work honestly here," the Russian minister explained.




Whatever the outcome of Sunday's talks, huge crowds already gathered in Crimea's capital Simferopol to make clear they want to be part of Russia.


They have been celebrating the change of the clocks two hours forward to synchronise with the time in Moscow, shouting "Russia!, Russia!".


Yet not everyone celebrates: Thousands of Tatars have been fleeing Crimea amid fear of persecution, Ukrainian officials said.


Russian authorities also claimed that the last Ukrainian soldiers still loyal to Kyiv have left the Crimea, following the takeover of military installations by Russian forces. Stefan Bos reports. Listen