MOSCOW - The U.S. embassy is attaching great significance to the upcoming visit of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland to Moscow and noting that the focal point will be on the situation in Ukraine.
Its press secretary William Stevens told Interfax that they are expecting this important visit that will follow the visit of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Sochi last week and Victoria Nuland’s visit to Kyiv on May 14-17. She will continue discussing the following steps to implement the Minsk agreements, he said.
On Saturday in Kyiv Nuland said the United States stood ready to do more to ensure the comprehensive implementation of the Minsk agreements.
Nuland told a news conference that the main message in Kyiv was that the U.S. is ready for deeper involvement in the implementation of all planks of the Minsk agreements with their security, political and humanitarian aspects. She added that deepened U.S. involvement is conduced in close coordination with the EU and international organizations.
Nuland also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Sochi, said he was devoted to the Minsk Implementation Plan. However, she stressed that the important thing is one’s deeds, not just words.
Nuland told the news conference that specific aspects of implementation of the Minsk agreements had been raised during her talks with Ukrainian and Russian officials and at a recent NATO meeting. She said that the United States insists on a complete ceasefire on the separation line in particular.
The role of the OSCE in increasing its capability to monitor the Minsk agreements, in particular, the withdrawal of heavy armaments, was also discussed, she said.
