Kiev hosts "unity" discussions without rebels

Russia declared Wednesday that Ukraine was on the edge of civil war just as Kiev's leaders launched Western-sponsored "national unity" talks to try to save the country from falling apart.

The discussions - which crucially do not involve the pro-Moscow rebels waging an armed insurgency in the east - come two weeks before Ukraine holds a presidential election that the West is scrambling to keep alive.

"When Ukrainians kill Ukrainians I believe this is as close to a civil war as you can get," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Bloomberg television.

"In east and south of Ukraine there is a war, a real war."

Tensions remained high in the east after rebels killed seven Ukrainian soldiers in an ambush Tuesday, the deadliest single loss of life for the military since it launched an offensive against the separatists in April.

The latest bloodshed underscores the urgency of the new Western effort to resolve the escalating crisis on Ukraine after the failure of a deal hammered out in Geneva last month.

• On Wednesday German Chancellor Angela Merkel's deputy said Europe is partly to blame for the crisis in Ukraine although this is no excuse for Russian behavior toward the former Soviet republic.

• The tone struck by Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, head of the Social Democrats, contrasts with that of conservative Merkel who has pinned responsibility on Russia for exacerbating the crisis, which has soured ties between Moscow and the West.

• "Certainly, the European Union has also made mistakes, although this does not justify Russia's behavior," Gabriel told the German daily Rheinische Post.

"It was certainly not smart to create the impression in Ukraine that it had to decide between Russia and the EU," the economy minister added. "But again: That was not and is not a justification to plunge a country into chaos."

Merkel's spokeswoman said Gabriel's remarks stood for themselves and she declined further comment. Germany had a "very unified position" on the Ukraine crisis, she added, namely to ease tensions by creating conditions for a national dialogue.

There was also a stark warning from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development about the wider fallout from the deep economic gloom in both Ukraine and Russia.

European leaders have called for Wednesday's talks, being held under a roadmap drafted by the pan-European security body the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), to be as inclusive as possible.

The meeting brings together government officials including Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk as well as lawmakers, former leaders and presidential candidates.

AFP - Reuters - globaltimes.cn
14/5/14
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Related:

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• Remarks by President Barroso following the meeting between the European Commission and the Ukrainian Government

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