Russia and Ukraine Agree on Steps to End Crisis

Russia and Ukraine struck a deal Thursday to end unrest in eastern Ukraine stoked by pro-Russian militants, Secretary of State John Kerry said.

The militants must refrain from violence, lay down their illegal weapons and return seized buildings to their rightful owners, Kerry said. In return, Ukraine agreed to offer amnesty to protesters who had not committed capital crimes.

Kerry called the agreement “a good day’s work,” but warned that the United States would impose further sanctions on Russia if it didn’t see progress soon.

“None of us leave here with the sense that the job is done because the words are on the paper,” he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed the outlines of the deal.

President Barack Obama told reporters at the White House that Ukraine had “gone out of its way” to promise protections for Russian speakers in southern and eastern Ukraine, including that they would be fully represented in government.

Obama, too, sounded a note of caution.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

“I don’t think we can be sure of anything at this point,” he said. Considering Russia’s behavior, he said, “we have to be prepared to respond to what continue to be efforts of interference by the Russians in eastern and southern Ukraine.”

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

He said that U.S. military options are not on the table.

The agreement came after Kerry met in Geneva with Lavrov and their counterparts from Ukraine and the European Union. It was the first time the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers had met since the crisis erupted.

• Add to Google

Kerry Says Parties Agree to De-Escalate in Ukraine

03:01

Pro-Russian militants have taken control of government buildings in cities throughout eastern Ukraine, and an estimated 40,000 Russian troops are staged along the Russian-Ukrainian border.

The tension in the east has escalated since late February, when Russian troops emerged from their barracks in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and gradually took control. The peninsula voted to secede, and Russia annexed it March 21.

Kerry also confirmed that Jews in one eastern Ukrainian city had been ordered to identify themselves as Jews. He said that extremism, racism and religious intolerance were unacceptable.

“In the year 2014, after all the miles traveled and all of the journey of history, this is not just intolerable and grotesque. It is beyond unacceptable,” he said.

Earlier Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said on a televised call-in program that Russian special forces are not stoking unrest in eastern Ukraine, directly contradicting claims by the United States and NATO.

He reserved the right to send Russian troops into the region. He said that he hoped the Ukraine crisis would be resolved through political and diplomatic means.

— Erin McClam