Brussels, 02/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini will take stock of the situation in Ukraine with Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov in Basle on 4 December.
Their meeting will take place on the sidelines of the OSCE ministerial Council meeting and will also address relations between the EU and Russia more generally, said Mogherini's spokesperson, Maja Kocijancic, on 2 December.
Tusk and Obama call on Moscow to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. The previous day, European Council President Donald Tusk and US President Barack Obama agreed that Russia should withdraw from the east of Ukraine. “We (…) agreed on how important it is for Russia to withdraw from eastern Ukraine, to stop supplying troops and equipment, to allow effective control of the border and to allow the OSCE to carry out its mission”, said Tusk in a press statement following a telephone conversation with Obama. He added that “all” hostages should be released.
Tusk and Obama “agreed that the sanctions against Russia cannot be eased until Russia meets its commitments under the Minsk agreements”, the White House stated. The White House also said that Tusk and Obama assessed what further actions may be necessary to respond to Russia's destabilising actions in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.
The two presidents reiterated the combined US and EU efforts to work with international financial institutions to provide the financial support Ukraine needs “as it stabilises its economy, implements necessary reforms, and seeks to resolve the conflict in the eastern part of the country”, the US added.
“We agreed to stay united and to keep a steady course”, Tusk stated. He and Obama also touched on the need “to further strengthen EU-NATO ties”.
The OSCE and Igor Plotinsky, the head of the separatist republic of Lugansk, announced on 2 December that the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists from the Lugansk region have agreed on a ceasefire from 5 December. The ceasefire contained in the Minsk agreement is regularly violated. (CG)