Kerry lands in Geneva for crunch Ukraine talks

US Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Geneva today for high-stake talks on the escalating crisis in Ukraine, which faces the threat of splitting in two as the government loses control of the separatist east.
Kerry is due to meet with his Russian, Ukrainian and EU counterparts tomorrow in a bid to defuse soaring tensions in the ex-Soviet satellite where pro-Russian militants that Kiev says are backed by Moscow have taken control of parts of the southeast.
"The idea here is that it has been difficult to get real dialogue going between Russia and Ukraine," a State Department official, who wished to remain anonymous, told reporters before landing.

"Russia has a lot to say about the situation inside Ukraine... Its own behaviour has been extremely destabilising in the east and therefore Ukraine has a lot to say about what Russia has been up to.
"The idea here is to try to provide a space where the US and the EU can sit with Russia and Ukraine and can look first and foremost for ways to de-escalate the security situation.