- Title: Russia to blame for "hot war" in Ukraine: U.S. special envoy
- Date: 23rd July 2017
- Summary: KRAMATORSK, UKRAINE (JULY 23, 2017) (REUTERS) MILITARY HUMVEES DRIVING IN STREET PEOPLE NEAR HUMVEE WITH UKRAINIAN FLAG UKRAINIAN FLAG VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS WALKING IN STREET VOLKER SPEAKING TO MEDIA HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO UKRAINE, KURT VOLKER, SAYING: "This is not a frozen conflict, this is a hot war, and it's an immediate crisis that we all need to address as quickly as possible." MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO UKRAINE, KURT VOLKER, SAYING: "We've seen what's happened. We understand the way this conflict has begun. We understand the way it is being managed today and that's why it's important that the United States become more engaged and that we try to find a way to change the strategic prospective here so that different decisions are made and we can actually move beyond where we are to see Ukraine's territory restored." VOLKER SPEAKING
- Embargoed: 6th August 2017 19:26
- Keywords: Ukrainian east eastern Ukraine U.S. envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker
- Location: AVDIYIVKA AND KRAMATORSK, UKRAINE
- City: AVDIYIVKA AND KRAMATORSK, UKRAINE
- Country: Ukraine
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA0026QXT7IF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Russian aggression is to blame for violence in eastern Ukraine, where people are dying in what should be seen as a "hot war" rather than a "frozen conflict", the U.S. special envoy to the Ukraine peace talks said on a visit to Ukraine on Sunday (July 23).
Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, was appointed to his current role on July 7 to help resolve the conflict between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists, which has killed more than 10,000 people since 2014.
Washington cites the conflict as a key obstacle to better relations with Russia.
On a visit to the Ukrainian-held town of Kramatorsk, 690 km (430 miles) southeast of Kiev, Volker said he would prepare a set of recommendations on how Washington can better engage with the peace process.
Relations between Ukraine and Russia have deteriorated after Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and the subsequent outbreak of a pro-Russian insurgency in the eastern Donbass region.
Ukraine accuses Russia of sending in its own soldiers and military equipment, which Moscow denies. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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