More on Kerry's statement in Paris from our news desk:
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said Moscow must prove within "hours" that it is working to support a cease-fire between Kyiv and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
After talks with his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, in Paris on June 26, Kerry said it is critical for Russia to show "in the next hours, literally" that it is moving to help disarm the separatists and encourage them to become part of a "legitimate process."
He said it is the preference of Western allies "not to have to be in a sanctions mode" with regard to Russia's behavior.
Kerry's comments come as Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko prepares to introduce a bill in parliament on constitutional changes that would expand some regional powers.
Poroshenko held four-way telephone talks on the crisis on June 25 with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Francois Hollande. (AFP, Reuters, ITAR-TASS, and AP)
More positive thinking in Russian official circles:
From our news desk:
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called on Russia to support his peace plan "with deeds, not words."
Speaking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg on June 26, Poroshenko said that, despite voicing support for the plan, Moscow was still not doing enough.