By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON D.C.
The presidents of Russia and the U.S. discussed a U.S. proposal to end the crisis in Ukraine during a bilateral phone call on Friday initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the White House.
During the call, U.S. President Barack Obama suggested that the Russian government commit its response to the proposal in writing. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had again presented the U.S. proposal to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in The Hague earlier this week.
The American proposal was established in consultation with European and Ukrainian partners, according to a readout of the call distributed by the White House.
Obama and Putin agreed their respective top diplomats would meet further to discuss the proposal.
Obama emphasized the U.S. commitment to a diplomatic de-escalation of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. But the U.S. president “made clear that this remains possible only if Russia pulls back its troops and does not take any steps to further violate Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” said the White House.
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