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Secretary of State John Kerry says U.S. and EU sanctions can be rolled back when the Ukraine cease-fire agreements are fully implemented.
Kerry says there is an “urgent need” for the United States and Russia to agree on facing global threats.
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
Lavrov: Russia, U.S. Against Steps Harmful For Relations
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow and Washington agree on the need to avoid steps that could further harm relations between Russia and the United states.
Lavrov made the comments following talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on May 12.
Kerry also met for nearly four hours with President Vladimir Putin.
Lavrov said the discussions helped Moscow and Washington to "better understand each other."
Meanwhile, Kerry said there was an "urgent need" for the United States and Russia to cooperate on confronting global challenges.
He also called on all sides in the Ukraine conflict to prevent breaches of a cease-fire agreed in February.
Relations between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated sharply following Russia's annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea in March 2014.
The West also accuses Russia of arming pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and sending troops there, charges Moscow denies.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Tuesday, May 12. Check back here tomorrow for more of our continuing coverage. Thanks for reading.
Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with some of the Twitter response to John Kerry's Sochi trip yesterday: