U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said he is confident that militants in eastern Ukraine will immediately lay down their arms if Russia stops supporting them.
He said at a press conference on Tuesday, July 29 that it was necessary to get
proof that they really want to cease fire, so that separatists could
lay down their arms, rather than continue shelling the Ukrainian Armed
Forces. Kerry also said that separatists would not be able to continue
fighting if there is no support from Russia.
He said that the United States expects Russia to make steps to de-escalate the conflict in the eastern regions of Ukraine.
Kerry said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had agreed on
the need to develop concrete proposals in this regard so that supplies
of weapons and support for separatists could end and so that there was
no artillery shelling from Russian territory.
He said that the situation in Ukraine had gone too far and that if
Russia does not do anything to de-escalate the situation, the EU and the
United States would take appropriate measures of influence.
