Obama warns Putin of 'rising costs' over Ukraine

Ahead of Minsk peace talks, US president urges Moscow to agree to peace deal or face tougher consequences.

11 Feb 2015 01:23 GMT | War & Conflict, Europe

Senior Obama administration officials have come out in support of arming the Ukrainian army [Reuters]

US President Barack Obama has urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call to agree to a peace deal with the Ukrainian government.
"If Russia continues its aggressive actions in Ukraine, including by sending troops, weapons, and financing to support the separatists, the costs for Russia will rise," said a statement issued by the White House on Tuesday.
The Kremlin, however, emphasised in its statement about the call that the Ukraine crisis was an "internal" conflict.
Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of supplying and training the heavily armed separatists, but Russia denies the claims.
Peace efforts
The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France are set to meet for the peace talks in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Wednesday.
French President Francois Hollande said the leaders were heading to the talks "with the strong will to succeed, but without being sure that we will be able to do it".
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said simply holding the summit was no guarantee of success, and that nothing had been resolved yet.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the talks were "one of the last" opportunities for ending the conflict that has killed more than 5,300 people since April.
The renewed fighting has brought calls in the West for more pressure against Moscow. Obama is weighing whether to deliver lethal weapons to Kiev.

Fresh fighting in Ukraine threatens peace talks

Obama met German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday but announced no decision on weapons, despite several senior officials in his administration coming out last week in favour of sending arms.
European countries have opposed sending arms to Kiev, arguing that would escalate the war.
Latest violence
Meanwhile on Tuesday, rockets crashed into the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, about 50km north of the frontline, hitting the headquarters of the Ukrainian military campaign in the east, as well as nearby residential areas.
The government-controlled Donetsk regional administration said 12 people were killed and 64 wounded, including 29 civilians. At least seven of the dead were civilians, local officials said. 
The rebels denied firing on the town.
At the frontline in Vuhlehirsk, a small town captured by rebels last week, volleys of artillery crashed in both directions. The rebels are pushing to encircle government forces, holding out in nearby Debaltseve, a rail hub that is the main rebel target.
Rebels sounded triumphant and said they had no intention of halting their offensive.
"The Debaltseve bubble has been shut firmly. We will not let them out. There is no way they can get out," said a commander of a reconnaissance unit.
Asked about a ceasefire, the commander replied: "We are absolutely against it. They will have time to re-group. We have them now."

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Obama calls Putin before Minsk talks to discuss E. Ukraine peace deal – White House

Published time: February 10, 2015 20:46
Edited time: February 10, 2015 22:53

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (Reuters/Alexei Nikolsky) and U.S. President Barack Obama (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

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In the first talk in weeks, President Barack Obama called Vladimir Putin to discuss the crisis in eastern Ukraine and the upcoming meeting in Minsk to resolve the conflict, the White House said.
"President Obama underscored the rising human toll of the fighting and underscored the importance of President Putin seizing the opportunity presented by the ongoing discussions between Russia, France, Germany, and Ukraine to reach a peaceful resolution," the White House said.
According to the Kremlin, the discussion was focused on the “objectives of achieving a peaceful settlement of the acute crisis in Ukraine.”
“Vladimir Putin provided a detailed assessment of the situation in the southeast of Ukraine, with an emphasis on Russia’s recent proposals discussed, in particular, in the context of preparation for the [Minsk summit],” the statement reads.
“The presidents of Russia and the United States have emphasized the importance of a political – through dialogue – resolution of Ukraine’s internal conflict, the speedy cessation of bloodshed, and the protection of the legitimate rights of all Ukrainian citizens without exception, including in the southeast,” the Kremlin’s statement added.
READ MORE: Demilitarized zone, Kiev-Donetsk dialogue to be focus of Normandy 4 talks in Minsk - source
Just before the statement, a contact group including representatives from Kiev, eastern Ukrainian rebels, Russia, and OSCE finished their preparations for the Normandy Four format talks set to take place Wednesday in Minsk. TASS news agency sources said the group worked out a ceasefire plan for eastern Ukraine and ways to monitor it. A heavy weapons withdrawal scheme was also reportedly agreed upon.
Another option reportedly on the table in Minsk would be creating a demilitarized zone in Donbass. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Germany, and France are expected to insist that Russia takes responsibility to establish it, RIA Novosti sources said.
The run-up to the crucial meeting saw pressure mounting on the sides of the talks. German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the meeting is “another huge chance…to take a big first step towards de-escalation” in south-eastern Ukraine.
"But nothing has been resolved yet. The taking place of the summit alone is no guarantee of its success. I urge and expect Moscow and Kiev... to really seize this chance," Steinmeier said.
READ MORE: Obama, Merkel display ‘tactical disagreements’ over Ukraine
Following last week’s “substantive and constructive” five-hour talks between Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Francois Hollande, a number of Western media reported that an ultimatum was issued to the Russian President. Merkel reportedly vowed more sanctions if Russia finds new peace proposals from France and Germany to be unsatisfactory.

However, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that “nobody has ever talked to the president [Putin] in the tone of an ultimatum – and couldn’t do so even if they wanted to.”
The European Union has already announced new sanctions against Russian officials and Ukrainian militias, but postponed enforcing them for a week, pending the new Minsk peace talks.
Despite failing to provide any convincing proof, the US and EU continue to blame Russia for masterminding the Ukraine conflict and supporting rebels who are fighting the Kiev government in the country's southeast – claims repeatedly denied by Moscow.
READ MORE: 'Ominous silence when shelling halts': 10 signs you live in war-torn Donetsk, E. Ukraine
The Ukraine conflict began last April when Kiev sent regular forces and volunteer battalions to the southeastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, after rebels there refused to recognize the country’s new, coup-imposed authorities. The death toll in the Ukraine conflict has exceeded 5,300 people, with over 12,000 injured, according to UN estimates.

Russia's Putin, Egypt's el-Sisi agree on preliminary nuclear power deal

Russia's Putin, Egypt's el-Sisi agree on preliminary nuclear power deal

By Sarah Sirgany, CNN

Updated 10:09 AM ET, Tue February 10, 2015

Story highlights

• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Cairo
• Putin says trade between the countries increased by 80% last year
• El-Sisi says they discussed ways to find a peaceful solution to the Syria crisis

Cairo (CNN)Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a preliminary agreement to cooperate on building a nuclear power plant after meeting Tuesday in Cairo.

Speaking at a joint news conference, Putin focused on economic cooperation, saying there was an 80% increase in trade between the two countries last year.

He said Russia would contribute to the construction of a nuclear power plant, training staff and scientific research.

El-Sisi covered both economic and political cooperation in his remarks.

The Egyptian President said he had stressed the importance of "military cooperation" to his Russian counterpart and the continuation of "strategic relations" and high-level meetings to discuss regional issues.

He said both sides were in agreement on the importance of standing together to fight terrorism.

"I agreed with the Russian President that the terrorism challenge Egypt is facing knows no borders," he said.

The battle against terrorism isn't only on the security front, el-Sisi said, but also includes addressing the ideological and social foundation of extremism.

In discussions on regional issues, el-Sisi said he had stressed the need for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as well as threats to the sovereignty of Libya and the unity of both Iraq and Yemen.

Both leaders discussed reaching a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis, including a meeting for all sides involved, he said.

"We agreed on the need of the world to come up with a more democratic and just system," el-Sisi said.

Putin's sole mention of political cooperation was on the subject of Syria.