Ukrainian opposition leader pushes for support

A Ukrainian opposition leader has said that his country needs more than "vocal support" from the West and that he would push at a security conference for more active involvement to help resolve the current political crisis.
"Ukraine desperately needs a Marshall plan and not martial law in order to stabilise the political and economic situation in the country," lawmaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk told reporters as he arrived at the Munich Security Conference.
US Secretary of State John Kerry was expected to meet with Ukrainian opposition leaders today at the conference, which is in its 50th year and is renowned as a venue for backroom diplomacy and negotiations.

Ukraine's foreign minister was also to attend the Friday-Sunday conference along with many of the world's top diplomats and defence officials. It was unclear whether he would meet with Kerry as well.
Before arriving in Munich, Kerry said in Berlin that offers from Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych had "not yet reached an adequate level of reform."
Kerry, who will meet in Munich with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, said he would also seek to persuade Moscow that an agreement in Ukraine is in its interest.

Protests started in Ukraine after Yanukovych backed out of an agreement to deepen ties with the European Union in November, but quickly came to encompass an array of discontent.

Yanukovych then got a USD 15 billion aid package from Russia, which was key to propping him up and keeping the struggling Ukrainian economy from falling into bankruptcy.
But as the crisis drags on, concerns are rising about whether Russia will keep its financial commitment if Yanukovych's government collapses.
The conference comes at a time when several international crises in the spotlight in addition to Ukraine.
UN-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi was arriving hours after eight days of bitter negotiations between Syria's government and the Western-backed opposition concluded in Geneva without tangible results.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif joins the meeting tomorrow to address questions about his country's nuclear program.

And yesterday night, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen emphasised her country's new willingness to be more engaged internationally.
She said Germany was helping destroy chemicals that could be used for weapons from Syria, aiding France in Mali, and would support the upcoming European Union effort in the Central African Republic if needed.
"Indifference is not an option for Germany," she said.