- published: 27 Apr 2014
- views: 46
US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Russia to do all it can to help release European military observers abducted in eastern Ukraine. In a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Mr Kerry also expressed concern about "provocative Russian troop movements" near Ukraine's border. Pro-Russia militia continue to occupy official buildings in a dozen eastern cities, defying the government in Kiev. EU diplomats are to meet on Monday to discuss fresh sanctions against Russia. Earlier, the G7 group of economic powers also agreed to intensify sanctions against Russia over Ukraine. The West is accusing Moscow of leading a secessionist revolt in eastern Ukraine after it annexed Crimea last month. Russia strongly denies the claim.Russia said on Saturday it would "take all possible steps" to secure the release of eight observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) who were seized and accused of espionage by pro-Russia gunmen. The group - believed to be military observers from Germany, Denmark, Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic - is being held along with several Ukrainian army personnel in the city of Sloviansk. Those holding the observers have said they could be exchanged for prisoners held by Ukrainian forces. However, Kiev says they are being used as human shields. The US state department said Mr Kerry "expressed continued concern that Russia's provocative troop movements on Ukraine's border, its support for separatists and its inflammatory rhetoric are undermining stability, security and unity in Ukraine". Mr Kerry also "urged Russian support without preconditions for the efforts of the OSCE and the government of Ukraine to liberate the... inspectors and their Ukrainian guides," the statement added. For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine must end military operations in the east of the country as part of urgent measures to defuse the crisis.Ukrainian troops have carried out a number of raids to try to regain control of official buildings. The crisis began when Ukrainians toppled pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in February and has since plunged East-West relations to their lowest point since the Cold War. Russia has tens of thousands of troops deployed along its side of the border with Ukraine and has said it will act if its interests are threatened. On Saturday, the G7 praised Ukraine for acting with restraint in dealing with the "armed bands" that had occupied government buildings. Tags: abc breaking news, bbc, bbc football, bbc iplayer, bbc news, bbc news america, bbc persian, bbc sport, bbc weather, bbc world news, breaking celebrity news, breaking election news, breaking late news, breaking local news, breaking music news, breaking news, breaking news alerts, breaking news canada, breaking news headlines, breaking news in atlanta, breaking news in nigeria, breaking news india, breaking news pensacola florida, breaking news plane crash, breaking news story, breaking sports news, business expensive news home media world, christian world news, cnn, cnn breaking news, cnn money, cnn news, cnn news breaking news, cnn news world, detroit breaking news, global news, headline, headline news, health care technology news, hot latest global news, internet technology news, las vegas breaking news, latest breaking news, latest celebrity news, latest information technology news, latest music news, latest news, latest news headlines, latest news update, latest sports news, live breaking news, local breaking news, local news today, msn breaking news, nbc breaking news, nbc world news, news of the world, news report us world, news today news, news updated daily, solar technology news, sports news today, technology news, the latest news, today news, us news and world, us news and world report, us news and world report magazine, us news and world report web site, us news world report, world news, world news daily, world news headlines,Ukrainian,Ukraine Protest,Ukraine Crisis,Ukraine Ex-Leader,Top World News,Today World News,World News Today,Latest Today World News.