US warns Kremlin, praises EU sanctions

The US warned Russia on Thursday that it is mulling fresh sanctions over the fighting in Ukraine and welcomed an EU move to broaden existing measures imposed on Moscow...

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the agreement by EU foreign ministers to expand existing European sanctions "is just a further sign that the actions of the last several days and weeks are absolutely unacceptable and that there will be new consequences put in place."

The move in Brussels, where EU foreign ministers were meeting, was "building on a large sanctions effort that's been going on for months now," Psaki said, dubbing Thursday's announcement a "positive step."

• She had no prediction about when the next round of US sanctions would come into force, or who would be targeted.

Earlier this week President Barack Obama pledged to increase pressure on Russia and, in cooperation with US allies including Europe, to look at other options to tackle the issue.

• Psaki also condemned intensifying attacks on ­Debaltseve, in eastern Ukraine, where rebels have almost surrounded the town.

The town lies 13 kilometers beyond the cease-fire line set in a September accord, she said.

• "Over the past week, the separatists have fired countless rockets at the city, killing and wounding scores of innocent people," Psaki told reporters. "There can also be no mistake about Russia's role in the escalation of violence," she said, adding Moscow had "equipped the separatists with tanks, armored vehicles, heavy artillery, rocket systems and other military equipment."

Moscow and Washington are discussing a possible visit to Russia by US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the Ukraine crisis, diplomatic sources said Friday. It would be Kerry's first visit to Russia since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, during which ties between Washington and Moscow have plunged to their worst level since the Cold War.

"Talks [on arranging a Kerry visit] have been going on for weeks," one diplomatic source told Reuters. Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted unnamed sources on Friday as saying Kerry would visit Moscow for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on February 4-5.
 Source:Agencies - globaltimes.cn
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