Loading ...German, French leaders take new Ukraine peace plan to Kiev, Moscow
(Reuters) – The leaders of Germany and France announced a new peace plan for Ukraine on Thursday, planning to fly together to Kiev and Moscow with a proposal to resolve the conflict that could be “acceptable to all”.
The coordinated trip by Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande comes as rebels advanced on a railway hub held by Ukrainian troops after launching an offensive that scuppered a five-month-old ceasefire.
With Washington talking of arming Ukraine for the first time, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also visited Kiev on Thursday. He had no plans to go to Moscow and was not involved in the Franco-German initiative, although he supported it.
Moscow confirmed plans for the meeting with Merkel and Hollande and said it hoped the talks would be “constructive”. A presidential aide in Kiev said it awaited the talks with “restrained optimism”.
The Franco-German plan looks like an eleventh-hour bid by Europe’s core powers to halt the escalation of the conflict ahead of diplomatic deadlines that are likely to make east-west confrontation even worse.
more http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/05/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSKBN0L910W20150205