Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- Foreign
ministers from around the world didn't strike a deal over the Ukraine crisis
Wednesday, but U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said they agreed on one key
thing: They'd rather talk than fight.
"All parties agreed today that it is important to try to
resolve these issues through dialogue," Kerry told reporters after a
series of meetings in Paris with foreign ministers from the United Kingdom,
France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia.
Kerry described the talks as "the beginning of a
negotiation" and called them "very constructive." Finding a
resolution will be difficult, he said, "but I'd rather be where we are
today than where we were yesterday."
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius offered an optimistic
assessment.
"For the first time, something has moved in the
process," he said, "and we will continue to talk."
Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry said in a
statement that an agreement with the United States had been reached to help
implement a February 21 deal over the transition of power in Ukraine. But Kerry
did not mention that agreement in his remarks.
The closely watched talks between top diplomats came after days of
simmering tensions in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
No comments:
Post a Comment