Talks in London between Kerry and Lavrov end with impasse on Ukraine
Talks in London between Kerry and Lavrov end with impasse on Ukraine
(about 3 hours later)
LONDON — A round of last-ditch U.S.-Russian talks Friday failed to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, increasing the likelihood of new sanctions against Moscow after a Crimean vote Sunday on joining the Russian Federation.
LONDON — An 11th-hour U.S. effort to head off the growing confrontation with Russia over Ukraine failed Friday, and Moscow shipped more troops and armor into the flash point Crimean region ahead of a planned vote on breaking away from Ukraine and rejoining Russia.
The talks between U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reached an impasse when Lavrov made it clear that President Vladimir Putin was determined to let the referendum go ahead despite warnings that it would violate both Ukrainian and international law, the U.S. side said.
Secretary of State John F. Kerry warned against a “back-door annexation” of the strategic Black Sea peninsula by Russia. But Kerry conceded that six hours of talks with Russia’s top diplomat here neither stopped Sunday’s vote nor opened a new diplomatic path for Moscow to step back from the Cold War-tinged standoff.
Lavrov said after the talks that the two had reached no “common vision.”
U.S. and European sanctions on Russia, the most significant since the collapse of the Soviet Union, were all but certain.
Kerry told reporters that after six hours of talks with his Russian counterpart, “the foreign minister made it clear that President Putin is not prepared to make any decision regarding Ukraine until after the referendum on Sunday.” Officials in Crimea, a largely ethnic Russian region that is currently an autonomous part of Ukraine, said the vote on independence would be a prelude to joining Russia.
“We don’t have a common vision of the situation,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said following crisis talks called by Kerry.
Kerry warned that “there will be consequences if Russia does not find a way to change course.” And he said there would be “an even greater response” if Russia were to “threaten the Ukrainian people,” such as by sending forces into eastern Ukraine.
No agreements were reached, Lavrov told reporters in Russian. He stressed that Russia still insists on Crimea’s right to hold the referendum Sunday on independence. He said Russia would decide after the vote on how to respond.
[READ: Lavrov is the Russian foreign minister the U.S. loves to hate]
When pressed by reporters about whether Russia would annex Crimea after the vote, he said, “There are no what-ifs in politics.”
The top U.S. diplomat said he offered assurances during the talks that the United States is not trying to threaten Russia. “We’re not trying to challenge Russia’s rights or interests” in Ukraine, he said. But he said that he and President Obama are convinced that “there is a better way for Russia to pursue its legitimate interests in Ukraine.”
Kerry spoke after Lavrov told reporters that “differences remain” between the two sides on the Ukraine crisis.
Lavrov emerged from the talks — described by Washington as a final diplomatic effort before the referendum — to say that no agreements had been reached and that Russia still recognizes Crimea’s right to hold the referendum Sunday. Lavrov said Russia would decide after the vote on how to respond.
“We don’t have a common vision of the situation,” Lavrov told reporters after the meeting. “Our differences remain, but of course our conversation helped us understand each other better.”
When pressed by reporters about whether Russia would annex Crimea after the vote, he said, “There are no what ifs in politics.”
He also said, however: “We have repeated our position that was expressed by the president of the Russian Federation. We will respect the will of people of Crimea that will be expressed at the referendum on the 16th of March.”
Lavrov said Russia has no plans to invade Ukraine even as he repeated that Moscow is deeply concerned about a lack of law and order in eastern Ukraine. And once again he brought up Ukraine’s failure to follow through on a Feb. 21 agreement between what was then the opposition and pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. The United States considers that accord to have been nullified by events, including the ouster of Yanukovych and his departure for Russia, where he has taken refuge.
“We expressed our deep concern over the fact that necessary measures are not being taken to ensure law and order,” he said. “Radicals are still staging armed provocations, violent provocations.”
That was not happening in Crimea, he said, because self-defense forces — which reporters have observed are actually Russian troops — have preserved order.
Lavrov said there was agreement on the need for constitutional reform in Ukraine and for barricades to come down in Kiev.
While Kerry described the talks as “constructive,” and Lavrov called them “very useful,” they evidently failed to avert Sunday’s referendum — a plebiscite that Ukraine, the United States and European allies have denounced as a violation of Ukrainian and international law.
Putin separately said Friday that the referendum is in line with international law.
The talks were part of a U.S. diplomatic push to ease the crisis over Russia’s military presence in Ukraine’s Crimea region.
[Russia supporters in eastern Ukraine pose challenges to government]
Even as Kerry and Lavrov two shook hands at the outset of the meeting at the home of the U.S. ambassador in London, the rhetoric from Moscow continued to be harsh.
After clashes between pro- and anti-Russian demonstrators in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk led to the death of one protester, Russia warned that it “reserves the right to take people under our protection” — language that could threaten a deeper military push.
In recent days, the continued gathering of Russian troops along the border and Moscow’s tightening grip on Crimea have unnerved Ukrainians and left the country’s fledgling government concerned about further Russian military action. On Friday, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that a newly announced series of military exercises had expanded to include training missions for fighter jets and helicopters. Ukrainian military officials reported the seizure of another base in Crimea, this one a radar facility taken by Russian Federation soldiers around 3 a.m. Friday.
“We have said more than once that the authorities that came to power in Kiev ought to disarm the militants and ensure the security of the population,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, referring to the provisional government that took power last month in Ukraine. “Regrettably, as the events in Ukraine have shown, this is not so, and the Kiev authorities are not controlling the situation in the country.”
The protester who was killed was identified as Dmytro Chernyavskiy, the press secretary of the regional branch of a pro-Ukrainian ultra-nationalist party. Donetsk regional governor Sergey Taruta said in Kiev on Friday that the fighting was provoked by “non-Ukrainian citizens” and pro-Russian activists.
The session between Kerry and Lavrov began around 6:30 a.m. Washington time. Ahead of the meeting, Kerry said he hoped to end a standoff that threatens to divide Ukraine and lead the United States and Europe to impose economic and other sanctions against Moscow.
“I look forward to an 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,” Kerry said after ushering Lavrov into the sumptuous reception room of Winfield House, the central London home of the U.S. ambassador.
But there was little hope of progress.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague earlier in the day called the situation “formidably difficult” in an interview with ITV News. Lavrov, a quick-witted diplomat who is often jocular when meeting Kerry, was grim-faced as he entered the meeting. Though he speaks flawless English, he stuck to Russian and spoke through an interpreter as he referred to the “difficult situation we are in.”
The mood may have lightened somewhat as the session continued into the afternoon, far longer than planned. Lavrov’s spokeswoman tweeted a picture of the two men kicking a soccer ball in their dress shoes as they strolled the park-like grounds of the ambassador’s residence.
The meeting came 48 hours before the planned referendum in the Crimea region over whether to secede and join Russia or remain part of Ukraine with greater autonomy.
The meeting came 48 hours before the planned referendum in the Crimea region over whether to secede and join Russia or remain part of Ukraine with greater autonomy.
The vote will be held under the eyes of Russian troops who effectively took control of Crimea late last month, after protesters overthrew the Ukrainian government. The Crimean regional parliament has already voted to leave Ukraine, and the traditionally pro-Russian population of Crimea is expected to approve the idea as well.
The vote will be held under the eyes of Russian troops who effectively took control of Crimea late last month, after protesters overthrew the Ukrainian government. The Crimean regional parliament has already voted to leave Ukraine, and the traditionally pro-Russian population of Crimea is expected to approve the idea as well.
[READ: Lavrov is the Russian foreign minister the U.S. loves to hate]
Moscow’s tightening grip on Crimea and the gathering of Russian troops along the two countries’ borders have unnerved Ukrainians and left the country’s fledgling government concerned about further Russian military action. Kerry said those deployments had left the United States “deeply concerned.’’
The United States and other nations have been dangling a diplomatic out for Russia, tacitly acknowledging that the referendum and its pro-Russian outcome were a fait accompli but suggesting that Russia could then avert further escalation by leaving Crimea’s precise status vague.
But Kerry said Lavrov had made it clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not prepared to take that step. Lavrov said Russia will “respect” the results of the plebiscite, and it was clear from Kerry’s tone that the United States fears full annexation.
“We did not find common ground today on the way ahead,” said a senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe the roughly six hours of intensive discussions Friday.
In Washington, President Obama stressed the continued need for “a strong message to Russia that it should not violate the integrity and sovereignty of its neighbor.”
The European Union is expected to impose travel bans and asset freezes Monday on Russians accused of complicity in Moscow’s military incursion and alleged intimidation of Crimea. The E.U. identified more than 120 potential individuals Friday.
Speaking to reporters in London, Lavrov insisted that Russia had no plans to invade Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine. But he echoed a statement issued in Moscow by the Foreign Ministry, which warned that Russia “reserves the right to take people under our protection.’’ Overnight clashes between pro- and anti-Russian demonstrators in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk had led to the death of one protester.
The protester who was killed was identified as Dmytro Chernyavskiy, the press secretary of the regional branch of a pro-Ukrainian ultra-nationalist party. Donetsk regional governor Sergey Taruta said in Kiev on Friday that the fighting was provoked by “non-Ukrainian citizens” and pro-Russian activists.
Russia’s Interfax news agency reported Friday that a newly announced series of military exercises had expanded to include training missions for fighter jets and helicopters. Ukrainian military officials reported the seizure of another base in Crimea, this one a radar facility taken by Russian Federation soldiers around 3 a.m. Friday.
[Russia supporters in eastern Ukraine pose challenges to government]
In the Crimean capital of Simferopol, campaigning for Sunday’s referendum was in high gear Friday. Vans with megaphones blared Russian music from the streets around the regional parliament, where a large Russian flag already flies.
In the Crimean capital of Simferopol, campaigning for Sunday’s referendum was in high gear Friday. Vans with megaphones blared Russian music from the streets around the regional parliament, where a large Russian flag already flies.
Vasilyev Maxim, an official from the Russian city of Kursk, said he took $10,000 of his own money and drove to Crimea with thousands of Russian flags to distribute ahead of the vote.
Vasilyev Maxim, an official from the Russian city of Kursk, said he took $10,000 of his own money and drove to Crimea with thousands of Russian flags to distribute ahead of the vote. “In 30 years, the history books will say Putin took back Crimea to rebuild our country,” he said. “And no one will remember Kerry or that Obama had anything to do with the situation.’ ”
“In 30 years, the history books will say [Russian President Vladimir] Putin took back Crimea to rebuild our country,” he said. “And no one will remember Kerry or that Obama had anything to do with the situation.”
It remains unclear how Moscow will consider Crimea’s status, said Sergei Markedonov, an associate professor of regional studies and foreign policy at the Russian State University for the Humanities.
In a major traffic circle in Simferopol, an avuncular voice boomed from a towering video kiosk all day Friday, urging Crimean voters to come home to Russia, while the screen showed scenes of exultant pro-Russia rallies. Caravans of cars roared around the circle, with Russian flags streaming out the windows. Huge pro-Russian billboards lined every major boulevard.
Putin said at his recent news conference that Russia did not intend to annex Crimea, Markedonov pointed out, and he has not made any public statements to the contrary since then. Crimea could emerge as some kind of de facto state, like Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus, he said.
But on the outskirts of the regional capital, hundreds of protesters lined up along a highway, holding up pro-Ukrainian banners and blue flags representing minority Crimean Tatars, who have called for a boycott of Sunday’s referendum. As they chanted, a constant stream of trucks, buses and cars passed by, with many drivers honking and waving in support of the protesters.
Lavrov told reporters that there were other precedents for Crimean independence besides Kosovo, referring to the Comoros Islands, which declared independence from France. Crimea, he said, meant far more to Russians than the Comoros did to France.
“We want to stay with democratic Ukraine. We have lived in a free country for 20 years, and we don’t want to go back to the land of the gulags,” said Gulnara Ajisalyevna, 53, a librarian of Tatar descent who grew up in exile. She was holding a hand-lettered poster reading, “Stop the illegal referendum!”
The talks at the sumptuous central London home of the U.S. ambassador were always a long shot.
Ahead of Kerry’s visit to London, a senior U.S. official said he would raise with Lavrov possible concessions by the interim Ukrainian government to ease tension and satisfy some of Russia’s concerns. Ukraine’s interim prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, met with Obama in Washington on Wednesday and told his U.S. hosts that his government could offer some face-saving gestures to Moscow.
Lavrov, a quick-witted diplomat who is often jocular when meeting Kerry, was grim-faced as he entered the meeting. Although he speaks flawless English, he stuck to Russian and spoke through an interpreter as he referred to the “difficult situation we are in.”
“He made clear that they want to negotiate, that they want a political solution, that they believe that with international support this could be de-escalated,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe closed-door diplomatic sessions.
The mood may have lightened somewhat as the session continued into the afternoon, far longer than planned. Lavrov’s spokeswoman tweeted a picture of the two men kicking a soccer ball in their dress shoes as they strolled the parklike grounds of the ambassador’s residence.
“If there are legitimate concerns about minority rights, about security of the bases, they’d be delighted to have international observers in and international support in. . . . They are prepared to work with Russia,” the official said. “They’re prepared to consider the highest possible degree of autonomy for Crimea inside of Ukraine, but what they will not do is sacrifice the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
Lally reported from Moscow. Karla Adam in London and Carol Morello and Pamela Constable in Simferopol contributed to this report.
The official said Kerry was seeking a pledge from Lavrov not to worsen the situation by expanding the Russian military presence or using local militias to threaten towns outside Crimea. The United States also wants Russian forces to return to their barracks and allow international human rights monitors to move freely in Crimea.
“We are going to give diplomacy every chance,” the 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 off-ramp.”
U.S. officials have all but conceded that there is nothing they — or even Lavrov — could do to stop the Sunday referendum. Kerry said Thursday he assumes it will go ahead, and that U.S. sanctions will follow. The focus now is on ways to blunt the effect of the vote.
“Crimeans seem bound and determined to go forward with this. It will not have force of law in Ukraine. It will not have force of law in Russia or anywhere in the international community in and of itself,” the U.S. official said.
Kerry arrived early Friday in London and met immediately with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary Hague. Among Western European allies, Britain has been among the strongest advocates of a tough line with Moscow on Ukraine.
Kerry thanked Cameron on behalf of Obama “for Europe’s unity and your strong position.”
Kept away from No. 10 Downing St., on the opposite side of a busy London road, was a small demonstration by Ukrainian protesters waving the country’s blue and yellow flag. They displayed posters asking that “NATO save Ukraine.”
“We want to see progress as much as you do,” Cameron told Kerry. “We want to see Ukrainians and the Russians talking to each other. And if they don’t, then there are going to have to be consequences.”
The United States, Britain and other European nations have tried unsuccessfully for more than a week to begin talks among Russia, the interim Ukrainian government and other nations.
“I think the alignment of Britain and the European Union with the position that the United States is taking is absolutely right,” Cameron said. “We must keep at them.”
Lally reported from Moscow. William Branigin in Washington and Carol Morello and Pamela Constable in Simferopol contributed to this report.
