By Gregory L. White
MOSCOW--President Vladimir Putin signaled support for a European plan to ease tensions in Ukraine, calling on pro-Russian separatists to put off a Sunday referendum on secession to clear the way for talks.
"Direct dialogue between the Kiev government and the representatives of southeast Ukraine is the crucial element for a resolution," Mr. Putin said Wednesday after talks with Swiss President Didier Burkhalter, who is also the chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Mr. Burkhalter said the OSCE would soon distribute a proposed "road map" for easing tensions in Ukraine, including a cease-fire, political dialogue and elections, and hold consultations in Kiev and Washington in the next few days.
Western capitals have supported a mediating role for the group, a Europe-wide body that also includes the U.S. and Russia, in the worsening Ukraine conflict. Kiev has been reluctant to negotiate directly with the separatists, branding them terrorists and slapping them with criminal charges.
Mr. Putin's appeal to the separatists for a vote delay marks the first time Russia has publicly called on Kiev's opponents to do anything to reduce tensions. Moscow insists it has no direct influence on the groups, which Kiev and the West argue are directed from Moscow.
However, the Kremlin's apparent concession could be more an acceptance of reality than a compromise. In recent days, the referendum's prospects had appeared increasingly uncertain, with the prospect failing to generate a groundswell of popular support.
Ukraine's military and police operation in recent days also has limited the ability of the separatists to consolidate their grip. Ukraine's intelligence service has said that in intercepted telephone conversations, rebels sound increasingly desperate for help from Russia to fight off the Ukrainian offensive.
Previous diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis have failed, most notably a pact reached in Geneva last month among Ukraine, Russia, the European Union and the U.S. But they have served to buy time for Moscow and its allies in Ukraine to continue efforts to undermine Kiev's control over the country.
A separatist spokesman, Kirill Rudenko, said they would decide Thursday whether to agree to Mr. Putin's request. Beforehand, they said they planned to go ahead and, if it passed, would form a new country, to be called Novorossiya, a tsarist-era term for the region.
It wasn't clear whether the cease-fire in the OSCE proposal would cover Ukrainian forces as well. If it does, that could open the way for separatists to resume their efforts to extend their control across the region.
Mr. Putin reiterated his position that "an unconditional cessation of violence" by both sides was a "necessary condition" for the start of dialogue.
The Geneva agreement also called for all sides to "refrain from any violence," but it never really took hold amid recriminations on both sides.
In another bold gesture, Mr. Putin said that Russia has pulled its forces back from the Ukrainian border, where it had deployed them last month for exercises in response to Kiev's moves against the separatists.
But the U.S. said it had seen no change.
"In order to believe President Putin's remarks that they are withdrawing troops from Ukraine's border we would actually have to see Russian troops withdraw," Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said.
The White House also said that Mr. Putin needs to do more to encourage stability within Ukraine, such as use its influence with pro-Russia separatists to encourage them to lay down arms and vacate occupied public buildings.
"There is an opportunity for Russia to contribute positively to the environment in Ukraine," spokesman Josh Earnest said. "So far they have not done that."
He described Sunday's planned separatist ballot as illegal and called for its outright cancellation.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Mr. Putin's call to delay the referendum amounted to hot air. "If terrorists and separatists who are supported by Russia got orders to postpone what hadn't been planned, that's their internal issue," the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.
Officials in Ukraine's intelligence service said they were still on high alert, operating under the assumption that Mr. Putin would still try to disrupt the May 25 presidential election. That vote is intended to bolster the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government, which took power after a popular uprising ousted former President Viktor Yanukovych in late February.
Previously, Kremlin officials had dismissed the idea of conducting an election amid the current tensions as absurd. But Mr. Putin seemed to soften Moscow's position.
He said new elections were "movement in the right direction, but they won't resolve anything if all the citizens of Ukraine don't understand that their rights will be guaranteed" afterward.
President Barack Obama has threatened to ramp up U.S. sanctions dramatically if Moscow disrupts the May 25 election.
European governments agreed Wednesday on a modest broadening of their sanctions in the coming days, according to diplomats in Brussels.
The compromise means the bloc is likely to add fresh names to its list of targets next week, but a proposal that would have made it much easier for the group to target Russian firms has been put aside for now, they said.
One analyst said the increasing violence in the region probably had more to do with the change of rhetoric than Western sanctions.
"Given how (Mr. Putin) postured himself, as violence increases he comes under greater pressure to send in the troops," said Thomas Graham, a former Russia specialist at the U.S. National Security Council who is now senior director at Kissinger Associates, Inc.
He added that the Kremlin seems to recognize that any military campaign in eastern Ukraine wouldn't be as bloodless as its takeover of Crimea. "So find a way to de-escalate without looking like he is caving."
Mr. Putin's comments came as Kiev freed one of the pro-Russian movement's top leaders in exchange for three Ukrainian intelligence officers the rebels had been holding in Slovyansk, the city at the heart of the insurgency, since late April.
Mr. Putin welcomed the release of Pavel Gubarev, who had declared himself the people's governor in Donetsk before his arrest, and said "all other political prisoners" should be released too.
Ukraine's State Security Service said the armed forces had incurred 14 dead and 66 wounded so far in its operation to oust the pro-Russian militants. There is no official count of losses among the separatists, though officials have said dozens have been killed.
Separatists were fighting on the outskirts of Slovyansk, attempting to retake road checkpoints and a television tower that had been retaken by Ukrainian forces earlier in the week, Interfax quoted separatists as saying.
There was no immediate comment from the Ukrainian forces on the Slovyansk fighting. Officials said earlier that they were seeking to contain the separatist forces in the city, while trying to avoid civilian casualties.
The Interior Ministry said one separatist was killed and one police officer was wounded when a group attacked a busload of special-forces police outside Mariupol. "It was a real battle, it lasted more than an hour," spokesman Anton Gerashchenko said. There was no immediate confirmation from the separatists of the attack.
In Mariupol, pro-independence activists set up barricades of burning tires and a commandeered trolley bus on Lenin Avenue in front of the city hall late Tuesday before taking over the building, officials said. Police and military troops cleared the barricades and detained some of the activists Wednesday morning, police said.
Alan Cullison, Paul Sonne, Jeffrey Sparshott and Laurence Norman contributed to this article.
Write to Gregory L. White at greg.white@wsj.com
By Gregory L. White
MOSCOW--President Vladimir Putin signaled support for a European plan to ease tensions in Ukraine, calling on pro-Russian separatists to put off a Sunday referendum on secession to clear the way for talks.
"Direct dialogue between the Kiev government and the representatives of southeast Ukraine is the crucial element for a resolution," Mr. Putin said Wednesday after talks with Swiss President Didier Burkhalter, who is also the chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Mr. Burkhalter said the OSCE would soon distribute a proposed "road map" for easing tensions in Ukraine, including a cease-fire, political dialogue and elections, and hold consultations in Kiev and Washington in the next few days.
Western capitals have supported a mediating role for the group, a Europe-wide body that also includes the U.S. and Russia, in the worsening Ukraine conflict. Kiev has been reluctant to negotiate directly with the separatists, branding them terrorists and slapping them with criminal charges.
Mr. Putin's appeal to the separatists for a vote delay marks the first time Russia has publicly called on Kiev's opponents to do anything to reduce tensions. Moscow insists it has no direct influence on the groups, which Kiev and the West argue are directed from Moscow.
However, the Kremlin's apparent concession could be more an acceptance of reality than a compromise. In recent days, the referendum's prospects had appeared increasingly uncertain, with the prospect failing to generate a groundswell of popular support.
Ukraine's military and police operation in recent days also has limited the ability of the separatists to consolidate their grip. Ukraine's intelligence service has said that in intercepted telephone conversations, rebels sound increasingly desperate for help from Russia to fight off the Ukrainian offensive.
Previous diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis have failed, most notably a pact reached in Geneva last month among Ukraine, Russia, the European Union and the U.S. But they have served to buy time for Moscow and its allies in Ukraine to continue efforts to undermine Kiev's control over the country.
A separatist spokesman, Kirill Rudenko, said they would decide Thursday whether to agree to Mr. Putin's request. Beforehand, they said they planned to go ahead and, if it passed, would form a new country, to be called Novorossiya, a tsarist-era term for the region.
It wasn't clear whether the cease-fire in the OSCE proposal would cover Ukrainian forces as well. If it does, that could open the way for separatists to resume their efforts to extend their control across the region.
Mr. Putin reiterated his position that "an unconditional cessation of violence" by both sides was a "necessary condition" for the start of dialogue.
The Geneva agreement also called for all sides to "refrain from any violence," but it never really took hold amid recriminations on both sides.
In another bold gesture, Mr. Putin said that Russia has pulled its forces back from the Ukrainian border, where it had deployed them last month for exercises in response to Kiev's moves against the separatists.
But the U.S. said it had seen no change.
"In order to believe President Putin's remarks that they are withdrawing troops from Ukraine's border we would actually have to see Russian troops withdraw," Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said.
The White House also said that Mr. Putin needs to do more to encourage stability within Ukraine, such as use its influence with pro-Russia separatists to encourage them to lay down arms and vacate occupied public buildings.
"There is an opportunity for Russia to contribute positively to the environment in Ukraine," spokesman Josh Earnest said. "So far they have not done that."
He described Sunday's planned separatist ballot as illegal and called for its outright cancellation.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Mr. Putin's call to delay the referendum amounted to hot air. "If terrorists and separatists who are supported by Russia got orders to postpone what hadn't been planned, that's their internal issue," the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.
Officials in Ukraine's intelligence service said they were still on high alert, operating under the assumption that Mr. Putin would still try to disrupt the May 25 presidential election. That vote is intended to bolster the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government, which took power after a popular uprising ousted former President Viktor Yanukovych in late February.
Previously, Kremlin officials had dismissed the idea of conducting an election amid the current tensions as absurd. But Mr. Putin seemed to soften Moscow's position.
He said new elections were "movement in the right direction, but they won't resolve anything if all the citizens of Ukraine don't understand that their rights will be guaranteed" afterward.
President Barack Obama has threatened to ramp up U.S. sanctions dramatically if Moscow disrupts the May 25 election.
European governments agreed Wednesday on a modest broadening of their sanctions in the coming days, according to diplomats in Brussels.
The compromise means the bloc is likely to add fresh names to its list of targets next week, but a proposal that would have made it much easier for the group to target Russian firms has been put aside for now, they said.
One analyst said the increasing violence in the region probably had more to do with the change of rhetoric than Western sanctions.
"Given how (Mr. Putin) postured himself, as violence increases he comes under greater pressure to send in the troops," said Thomas Graham, a former Russia specialist at the U.S. National Security Council who is now senior director at Kissinger Associates, Inc.
He added that the Kremlin seems to recognize that any military campaign in eastern Ukraine wouldn't be as bloodless as its takeover of Crimea. "So find a way to de-escalate without looking like he is caving."
Mr. Putin's comments came as Kiev freed one of the pro-Russian movement's top leaders in exchange for three Ukrainian intelligence officers the rebels had been holding in Slovyansk, the city at the heart of the insurgency, since late April.
Mr. Putin welcomed the release of Pavel Gubarev, who had declared himself the people's governor in Donetsk before his arrest, and said "all other political prisoners" should be released too.
Ukraine's State Security Service said the armed forces had incurred 14 dead and 66 wounded so far in its operation to oust the pro-Russian militants. There is no official count of losses among the separatists, though officials have said dozens have been killed.
Separatists were fighting on the outskirts of Slovyansk, attempting to retake road checkpoints and a television tower that had been retaken by Ukrainian forces earlier in the week, Interfax quoted separatists as saying.
There was no immediate comment from the Ukrainian forces on the Slovyansk fighting. Officials said earlier that they were seeking to contain the separatist forces in the city, while trying to avoid civilian casualties.
The Interior Ministry said one separatist was killed and one police officer was wounded when a group attacked a busload of special-forces police outside Mariupol. "It was a real battle, it lasted more than an hour," spokesman Anton Gerashchenko said. There was no immediate confirmation from the separatists of the attack.
In Mariupol, pro-independence activists set up barricades of burning tires and a commandeered trolley bus on Lenin Avenue in front of the city hall late Tuesday before taking over the building, officials said. Police and military troops cleared the barricades and detained some of the activists Wednesday morning, police said.
Alan Cullison, Paul Sonne, Jeffrey Sparshott and Laurence Norman contributed to this article.
Write to Gregory L. White at greg.white@wsj.com
Source : http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20140507-713703.html
