No Solution to Ukraine Crisis Without Russia – Germany

The current crisis in Ukraine cannot be settled without negotiations with Russia, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said.

In an interview with Frankfurter AllgemeinenSonntagszeitung newspaper on Sunday, Steinmeier insisted on continued talks with Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, saying that it is hardly possible to reach a political solution without Moscow’s cooperation.

“The political settlement of the Ukrainian conflict will be very difficult to achieve without Moscow’s assistance. Anger and indignation cannot and should not play a key role in international politics,” Steinmeier said.

The German minister, however, noted that the trust between the West and Russia has been “undermined seriously.”

When asked about the imposed sanctions by the European Union against Russia, Steinmeier said the EU countries had different histories of co-operation with the country “which determine their relations with Russia also in different ways.”

Moscow may take retaliatory measures, he added.

The first round of sanctions against Russia was implemented by the United States and the EU after Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and formally applied to become part of the Russian Federation following a referendum in March.

Russia launches aerial war games

Meanwhile,Russia has launched aerial war games in the country’s central and western districts, a Russian air force spokesman says.

Igor Klimov said the five-day drill began on Monday and would include aircraft such as Su-27 and MiG-31 fighter jets, bomber Su-34, as well as Mi-8, Mi-24 and Mi-28N helicopters.

The drill will be testing “aircraft weapons on land and air targets on new ranges, and will be conducting real and electronic launches of anti-aircraft missiles in Ashuluk (Astrakhan region in southern Russia) which is specifically designed to aid the coordination between aviation and anti-missile defense,” said Klimov.

Klimov added that the drills are planned to continue until August 8 and the exercises were the first in a series to improve coordination in the military.

The Russian drill comes amid the crisis in neighboring Ukraine, where government forces are fighting pro-Russians in the eastern regions bordering Russia.

The Russian Rostov region, which shares borders with Ukraine, has recently seen numerous shells hitting the area, fired from the Ukrainian side. On July 13, artillery shells from Ukraine hit the area, killing a 46-year-old man and seriously injuring two others.

Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking regions in the east have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since the government in Kiev launched military operations in mid-April in a bid to crush the pro-Russia protests. The United Nations (UN) says at least 1,129 people have been killed in the military campaign.

The fighting has intensified in east Ukraine since July 17, when a Malaysian airliner, carrying 298 people, was downed in the Donetsk region. Western powers accuse pro-Russia forces of downing the civilian airliner. The pro-Russians deny any involvement and blame the Ukrainian army for the incident.

Russian MP raps US for Ukraine military aid

In the same context, a Russian parliamentarian has condemned Washington’s plans to train and equip the Ukrainian National Guard, saying the move can be considered complicity in war crimes.

Irina Yarovaya, a Russian MP and the head of the Lower House committee for security and countering corruption, made the remarks on Sunday.

“The US promises to allocate $19 million for training and equipping this military structure – which also includes militants of the ultra-nationalist organization Right Sector – can be considered a direct financial and organizational complicity of the US in the genocide of civilians in south-east of Ukraine, as well as war crimes,” said Yarovaya.

The administration of US President Barack Obama officially informed Congress on August 1 of its plans to increase military aids to Ukraine.

According to US Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, the US intends “to train and equip four companies and one tactical headquarters of the Ukrainian National Guard as part of their efforts to build their capacity for internal defense.”

In addition, the US has vowed some USD 8 million in additional aid to the Ukrainian Border Guard Services.

The developments come as Ukrainian forces continue to fight pro-Russian forces in the country’s eastern regions.

Ukraine launched the military operations in mid-April in a bid to crush the pro-Russia protests. The United Nations (UN) says at least 1,129 people have been killed in the military campaign.

438 Ukraine troops lay down arms, enter Russia

On the other hand, more than 400 Ukrainian military personnel have laid down their weapons in the eastern regions and crossed over into Russia, requesting refugee status.

Russian Federal Security Service spokesperson VasilyMalayev said Monday that 438 Ukrainian military staff crossed into Russia’s Rostov region overnight.

Malayev added that among them were 164 employees of Ukraine’s State Border Service.

This comes as Russian border control authorities have opened a humanitarian corridor, allowing refugees into Russia.

This is not the first time Ukrainian soldiers lay down their arms and enter Russia through a border checkpoint. On August 2, a dozen Ukrainian soldiers refused to fight against their own people and crossed into Russia’s Rostov.

In addition, in late July, 41 servicemen left their military units and asked pro-Russia forces in Ukraine’s eastern regions to help them cross into the Russian territory.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military continues its crackdown on pro-Russia forces in the east of the country. According to reports, heavy shelling by Ukrainian government forces on the outskirts of eastern Donetsk region and in the eastern city of Lugansk left at least nine civilians dead on Sunday.

Ukraine’s eastern regions have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since the government in Kiev launched military operations there in mid-April. The United Nations says at least 1,129 people have been killed in the military campaign.

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