John Kerry in Sochi on a fence mending mission with Vladimir Putin

#JohnKerry #Russia #Crimea #VladimirPutin US Secretary of State John Kerry would be visiting Sochi on a fence mending mission with Russian President Vladimir Putin as indicated in news.sky.com dated 11 May 2015.
John Kerry would be meeting not only Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Black Sea resort of Sochi but also President Putin with the intention of fixing relations that have been soured by the Ukraine and Syria crises.

This would also be Kerry’s first trip to Russia since the Ukraine conflict erupted in April 2014 and in which Russia has seized control of Crimea. As a result, Western nations have accused Russia of supporting separatists in Ukraine. Even now, despite a ceasefire being in place, there are sporadic clashes between government and rebel forces in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Of course, Moscow continues to deny the claims.
So far, more than 8,000 people are believed to have died in the conflict.
In the opinion of the Russia's foreign ministry, there are hopes that the visit of Kerry would help to normalize bilateral relations since global stability is largely dependent on it. As per reports, the subjects of Yemen and Iran could also feature in the discussions.

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Prisoner swap in Ukraine is a positive sign for peace

#Ukraineceasefire #Ukraine #Debaltseve #prisonerexchange #Luhansk After the announcement of cease fire in Ukraine, there have been reports of scattered violence but the exchange of government troops and pro-Russian rebels is seen to be a positive sign about the peace process as reported in news.sky.com dated 22 February 2015.
The peace agreement had been signed last week in Minsk and it envisages an exchange of all prisoners apart from cessation of hostilities.
The exchange of 139 Ukrainian soldiers and 52 rebels took place in no-man's land near the village of Zholobok, about 12 miles from Luhansk. This is a village located near the border in the country's war-torn east.
Some of the Ukrainians were on crutches and had to walk a distance of nearly two miles to a rendezvous point before the exchange was carried out. It has been observed that many of the soldiers exchanged looked to be injured and both sides accused the other of mistreating prisoners.
As understood from pro-Moscow rebels, most of the Ukrainian soldiers who have been released had been taken prisoner during fighting for the town of Debaltseve.
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has been informed about these exchanges.
A spokesman of the Ukrainian security has revealed that the rebels are continuing to move equipment toward the port city of Mariupol. This is a matter of concern because, the rebels could make attempts to seize the city and establish a land corridor between mainland Russia and the Crimea.

At least six killed in shell strike in Donetsk, Ukraine – peace talks abandoned

#ukraine #donetsk #luhansk #trolleybus #minsk At least six people who had queued up for aid outside the building in the center of the city have been killed when two artillery shells hit a cultural center and a trolleybus in Donetsk, Ukraine.
As per witnesses, five bodies were seen at this location - two of them were middle-aged women and two men were lying on the ground. Another man was killed in a car a very short distance away. He was trying to maneuver the car away as the shell came in, but did not succeed – he died in his driver's seat.
The shells damaged vehicles in the legion and, all the victims appeared to be dressed in civilian clothing. There is no clarity on whether the shells were fired by government troops or by pro-Russian separatists.
Reports also indicate about a battle in Debaltseve – this is believed to be a key government-held town of 25,000 people and it that straddles a railway that connect the two rebel centers of Luhansk and Donetsk.
President Barack Obama has, once again, expressed deep concern about renewed fighting between Russian-backed separatist and government forces in eastern Ukraine and has indicated that the US is exploring options short of military action to isolate Russia. US Secretary of State John Kerry has plans to visit Kiev for talks with President Petro Poroshenko and other Ukrainian officials.
The rebels have, reportedly, said that the peace talks due to take place in the Belarussian capital, Minsk, had been called off because Kiev did not send any representatives.