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| Kerry Begins Talks in London on Crimea Crisis | Kerry Begins Talks in London on Crimea Crisis |
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| LONDON — Secretary of State John Kerry held talks on Friday with his Russian counterpart in an 11th-hour bid to ease the escalating crisis over the Kremlin’s intervention in Crimea. | LONDON — Secretary of State John Kerry held talks on Friday with his Russian counterpart in an 11th-hour bid to ease the escalating crisis over the Kremlin’s intervention in Crimea. |
| Western officials say they believe there is little chance of delaying the referendum that is to be held in Crimea on Sunday to decide if the peninsula should rejoin Russia. But they say that there may yet be an opportunity to negotiate a political resolution if Russia will refrain from taking the next step of formally annexing Crimea. | Western officials say they believe there is little chance of delaying the referendum that is to be held in Crimea on Sunday to decide if the peninsula should rejoin Russia. But they say that there may yet be an opportunity to negotiate a political resolution if Russia will refrain from taking the next step of formally annexing Crimea. |
| “We are going to give diplomacy every chance,” a senior State Department official said, referring to Mr. Kerry’s meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov of Russia. “What we would like to see is a commitment to stop putting new facts on the ground and a commitment to engage seriously on ways to de-escalate the conflict.” | “We are going to give diplomacy every chance,” a senior State Department official said, referring to Mr. Kerry’s meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov of Russia. “What we would like to see is a commitment to stop putting new facts on the ground and a commitment to engage seriously on ways to de-escalate the conflict.” |
| Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov, who met at the residence of the American ambassador here, suggested they were prepared for a businesslike discussion of the Ukraine crisis. | Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov, who met at the residence of the American ambassador here, suggested they were prepared for a businesslike discussion of the Ukraine crisis. |
| “I look forward to the opportunity to dig into the issues and possibilities that we may be able to find about how to move forward together to resolve some of the differences between us,” Mr. Kerry said at the start of the session. | “I look forward to the opportunity to dig into the issues and possibilities that we may be able to find about how to move forward together to resolve some of the differences between us,” Mr. Kerry said at the start of the session. |
| “This is a difficult situation we are in,” said Mr. Lavrov. “Many events have happened and a lot of time has been lost. So now we have to think what can be done.” | “This is a difficult situation we are in,” said Mr. Lavrov. “Many events have happened and a lot of time has been lost. So now we have to think what can be done.” |
| Until Friday, there had been no sign that President Vladimir V. Putin was prepared to take the “offramp” that the Obama administration has repeatedly offered. The Kremlin provided no hint of flexibility in a paper it sent to the State Department on Monday night that argued that Crimea’s secession from Ukraine would be as legitimate as Kosovo’s independence from Serbia, which the United States supported. | Until Friday, there had been no sign that President Vladimir V. Putin was prepared to take the “offramp” that the Obama administration has repeatedly offered. The Kremlin provided no hint of flexibility in a paper it sent to the State Department on Monday night that argued that Crimea’s secession from Ukraine would be as legitimate as Kosovo’s independence from Serbia, which the United States supported. |
| And in a new episode of muscle flexing, Mr. Putin ordered a snap exercise involving thousands of troops near Ukraine’s borders this week. | |
| Even as Russia announced additional military exercises, including flights by fighter jets in the Mediterranean, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow blamed the new authorities in Kiev for losing control of the country and reiterated Mr. Putin’s vow to defend Russian “compatriots” in Ukraine. | Even as Russia announced additional military exercises, including flights by fighter jets in the Mediterranean, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow blamed the new authorities in Kiev for losing control of the country and reiterated Mr. Putin’s vow to defend Russian “compatriots” in Ukraine. |
| The ministry’s statement, released on its website, cited violence during competing rallies in the eastern city of Donetsk on Thursday night that left one person dead and many others injured. The ministry attributed the violence to “right-wing groups” that supported the government in Kiev, though reports from witnesses and even footage on state television suggested that pro-Russian protesters had attacked their rivals. | |
| “Russia is aware of its responsibility for the lives of compatriots and fellow citizens in Ukraine and reserves the right to take people under protection,” the ministry’s statement said. | “Russia is aware of its responsibility for the lives of compatriots and fellow citizens in Ukraine and reserves the right to take people under protection,” the ministry’s statement said. |
| “It is clearly political coercion, at a minimum,” said one Western official, who asked not to be named because he was discussing intelligence reports. | |
| Deepening the gloom, Foreign Secretary William Hague of Britain said of the meeting between Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov: “The fact that so far Russia hasn’t taken any actual action to de-escalate tensions makes this a formidably difficult task today.” | Deepening the gloom, Foreign Secretary William Hague of Britain said of the meeting between Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov: “The fact that so far Russia hasn’t taken any actual action to de-escalate tensions makes this a formidably difficult task today.” |
| In Kiev, meanwhile, a senior United Nations official said the body planned to send monitors throughout Ukraine, including Crimea, to investigate reports of human rights violations. | In Kiev, meanwhile, a senior United Nations official said the body planned to send monitors throughout Ukraine, including Crimea, to investigate reports of human rights violations. |
| “Warning signs about systemic human rights violations were neglected for many years, including the concerns and recommendations of international human rights bodies,” said Ivan Simonovic, the assistant secretary for human rights. “There are serious concerns about the weakness of rule of law institutions, lack of accountability and ensuing impunity for human rights violations. Reports of torture and ill-treatment are also numerous.” | “Warning signs about systemic human rights violations were neglected for many years, including the concerns and recommendations of international human rights bodies,” said Ivan Simonovic, the assistant secretary for human rights. “There are serious concerns about the weakness of rule of law institutions, lack of accountability and ensuing impunity for human rights violations. Reports of torture and ill-treatment are also numerous.” |
| Adding to the worries are reports that large numbers of Russians are being bused to the eastern Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv, Lugansk and Donetsk so that they can agitate against the new Ukrainian government under the supervision of Russian intelligence officers, the Western official added. | Adding to the worries are reports that large numbers of Russians are being bused to the eastern Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv, Lugansk and Donetsk so that they can agitate against the new Ukrainian government under the supervision of Russian intelligence officers, the Western official added. |
| A major question for the United States and its partners is whether Mr. Putin’s strategy is limited to protecting Russian interests in Crimea or is the first move in a broader campaign to undermine Ukraine’s new government and weaken its authority over the eastern portion of the country. | A major question for the United States and its partners is whether Mr. Putin’s strategy is limited to protecting Russian interests in Crimea or is the first move in a broader campaign to undermine Ukraine’s new government and weaken its authority over the eastern portion of the country. |
| One of Mr. Kerry’s first orders of business in his meeting on Friday morning with Mr. Lavrov, the State Department official said, will be to ask Russia to have the Crimea referendum postponed. Most experts have little expectation that the referendum will be delayed as Moscow was the driving force behind arranging for the vote in the first place. And Mr. Kerry signaled earlier this week that he was prepared to carry on his diplomatic efforts after the referendum if Russia does not formally annex Crimea. | One of Mr. Kerry’s first orders of business in his meeting on Friday morning with Mr. Lavrov, the State Department official said, will be to ask Russia to have the Crimea referendum postponed. Most experts have little expectation that the referendum will be delayed as Moscow was the driving force behind arranging for the vote in the first place. And Mr. Kerry signaled earlier this week that he was prepared to carry on his diplomatic efforts after the referendum if Russia does not formally annex Crimea. |
| The outlines of the sort of political settlement the United States is seeking emerged on Wednesday when President Obama and Ukraine’s interim prime minister, Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, suggested that they would be willing to support expanded autonomy for Crimea if Russia were prepared to reverse its military intervention. Mr. Yatsenyuk also said his government would affirm an agreement that permits Russia to maintain a naval base there. | The outlines of the sort of political settlement the United States is seeking emerged on Wednesday when President Obama and Ukraine’s interim prime minister, Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, suggested that they would be willing to support expanded autonomy for Crimea if Russia were prepared to reverse its military intervention. Mr. Yatsenyuk also said his government would affirm an agreement that permits Russia to maintain a naval base there. |
| “We are going to present within the context of a unified, sovereign Ukraine the best offer for de-escalation that the Ukrainian people can accept and see if Russia is prepared to take that offramp,” the State Department official said. | “We are going to present within the context of a unified, sovereign Ukraine the best offer for de-escalation that the Ukrainian people can accept and see if Russia is prepared to take that offramp,” the State Department official said. |
| American officials said United States and European sanctions against Russia would be promulgated early next week if the referendum takes place on Sunday, and that more economic sanctions would be imposed if Russia escalates the conflict. | American officials said United States and European sanctions against Russia would be promulgated early next week if the referendum takes place on Sunday, and that more economic sanctions would be imposed if Russia escalates the conflict. |
| “If this referendum goes forward, there will be costs,” the State Department official said. “If there is further military escalation there will be more costs. If there is not serious diplomacy there will be more costs.” | “If this referendum goes forward, there will be costs,” the State Department official said. “If there is further military escalation there will be more costs. If there is not serious diplomacy there will be more costs.” |
| Mr. Kerry also plans to ask Mr. Lavrov about Russia’s snap military exercise, the State Department official said. | Mr. Kerry also plans to ask Mr. Lavrov about Russia’s snap military exercise, the State Department official said. |
| “We are very concerned,” the State Department official said. “This is the second time inside of a month that Russia has chosen to mass large amounts of force on short notice without much transparency around the eastern borders of Ukraine. It certainly creates an environment of intimidation.” | “We are very concerned,” the State Department official said. “This is the second time inside of a month that Russia has chosen to mass large amounts of force on short notice without much transparency around the eastern borders of Ukraine. It certainly creates an environment of intimidation.” |
| “That will be one question that will be asked,” the official said. “What is meant by this?” | “That will be one question that will be asked,” the official said. “What is meant by this?” |