Germany Urges Russia, Ukraine to Cool Tensions Over Crimea
- Russia ready to provide proof of Ukraine attack, Lavrov says
- Ukraine conflict resolution has stalled, Steinmeier says
A resident looks through a hole into an apartment building destroyed from shelling on June 24.
Photographer: Aleksey Filippov/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged Russia and Ukraine to reduce tensions over Crimea amid what he said was contradictory evidence from the two countries of an alleged attack on the peninsula.
Germany is concerned about worsening security in Crimea and all sides “must refrain from anything that may lead to a further deterioration of the situation,” Steinmeier told reporters after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on Monday. There’s still “no full clarity” about what happened “and we’re waiting for the results of investigations by the Russian and Ukrainian sides,” he said.