U.S. Says Russia Is Stoking Ukraine Conflict Before Talks
By Daria Marchak, Daryna Krasnolutska and Jake Rudnitsky Jul 15, 2014 11:00 AM ET
The U.S. urged its European allies to support deeper sanctions against Russia and accused its former Cold War foe of sending heavy weapons and other support to separatists as peace talks struggled to inch forward.
President Barack Obama’s administration pressed European Union ambassadors at a meeting yesterday to halt what American officials called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s destabilizing actions, according to three participants. The U.S. may sanction Russia’s financial and defense industries -- with or without its European allies -- and measures could be imposed as soon as this week, U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity.
“While Russia says it seeks peace, its actions do not match its rhetoric,” the U.S. government said in a statement. “We have no evidence that Russia’s support for the separatists has ceased. In fact, we assess that Russia continues to provide them with heavy weapons, other military equipment and financing and continues to allow militants to enter Ukraine freely.”
Ukrainian forces are trying to encircle and wipe out insurgents who retreated to the mainly Russian-speaking cities of Luhansk and Donetsk and to shore up its 2,000 kilometer (1,200 mile) eastern border. Tensions escalated this week after Ukraine’s government said Russian forces may have shot down one of its military airplanes, while its neighbor blamed Ukrainian forces for shelling that killed one person in Russia.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-15/ukraine-sees-russian-hand-in-downed-plane-as-talks-begin.html
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