09/04/2014 10:14
Ukraine crisis: Key four-way talks announced
Senior officials from the EU, Russia, the US and Ukraine are to meet next week to discuss the worsening situation in Ukraine, the BBC reported.
It will be the first four-way meeting since the crisis erupted.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will join US Secretary of State John Kerry, his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia.
The exact time and place of next week's talks were not made clear although an EU official confirmed they would be in Europe.
A spokeswoman for Baroness Ashton said she "continues the diplomatic efforts aiming at de-escalating the situation in Ukraine. In this context she will meet foreign ministers of the US, Russian Federation and Ukraine next week."
On Tuesday, Nato warned Russia that further intervention in Ukraine would be a "historic mistake" with grave consequences.
Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Moscow must pull back troops it has massed on the border with eastern Ukraine.
"I urge Russia to step back and not escalate the situation in east Ukraine," he said.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin says there is no intention to invade Ukraine but he reserves the right to protect Russian interests there.
He called on Russia to "engage in a genuine dialogue with the Ukrainian authorities."