Support The Moscow Times!

Germany Calls for Second Geneva Meeting on Ukraine

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday called for a second international conference to put an end to the crisis in Ukraine.

He said he made the proposal in telephone conversations on Sunday with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE.

"In the many discussions I have had in the last couple of hours, I have been campaigning … to hold a second meeting in Geneva to follow up on the first one," he told ARD television, according to a text of an interview to be aired later.

He said the purpose of such a meeting would be "finally to make clear agreements on how we can we can put an end to this conflict and gradually move towards a political solution."

"Anything else would be irresponsible because it would only mean there are more victims," he added.

On April 17, the U.S., Russia, Ukraine and the EU struck a deal in Geneva that outlined steps to defuse the crisis, including the disarmament of militants and a national dialogue on constitutional reform. The OSCE is charged with overseeing implementation of the accord.

Moscow and Kiev accuse each other of undermining the deal.

On Sunday, a Russian deputy foreign minister said that "in the coming days" there would be unspecified new efforts to have the Ukrainian government open a "dialogue" with the rebels.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more