US Secretary of State John Kerry has called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to express his "deep concern" over Moscow's failure to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine, a senior US official said.
"With Foreign Minister Lavrov, the Secretary expressed deep concern over the lack of positive Russian steps to de-escalate, cited mounting evidence that separatists continue to increase the number of buildings under occupation and take journalists and other civilians captive," a Senior State Department official said yesterday.
Kerry urged Russia to tone down escalatory rhetoric and engage diplomatically with the Ukrainian government, besides issuing public statements calling for those occupying buildings to disarm and stand down in exchange for amnesty, the official said.
"Kerry also reiterated that the absence of measurable progress on implementing the Geneva agreement will result in increased sanctions on Russia," Official said, adding that the Secretary also called Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
Both the calls were made to discuss the situation on ground in eastern Ukraine and status of efforts to implement the agreement reached last week in Geneva.
The secretary praised Yatsenyuk's steps towards de-escalation in accordance with the Geneva agreement and broadening the national dialogue on constitutional reform to include representatives of all regions and close coordination with the OSCE monitoring mission.
"Kerry encouraged final passage of the amnesty legislation and the formal launch of the national dialogue, including the issuance of invitations to a broad range of participants," official said.
The White House, earlier in the day, said Barack Obama had a great deal of flexibility and capacity to impose additional sanctions that respond to escalation by Russia.
"That would be what are described as sectoral sanctions. But there are other kinds of sanctions that can be imposed to individuals and entities. And the importance of the executive orders is that they, taken together, allow for that flexibility," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, said.
He said Russia needed to comply with the commitments it made in the agreement signed in Geneva with Ukraine, the US and the European Union.
"We are calling on all parties to comply with the commitments they've made. Ukrainian government is doing its part to deescalate the situation Carney said. Russia needs to use the influence on the armed militants to pressure them to give up their weapons and to vacate the buildings," he said.
He said the US will watch very closely to see if the commitments are honoured and will then take necessary action about imposing further costs.
