WASHINGTON, April 9 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke over phone on Wednesday morning with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and discussed the current crisis in Ukraine.
"When he spoke with Foreign Minister Lavrov, he reiterated his concerns about escalating extensions in the east. They discussed a possibility of a quad meeting next week," State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters here.
Psaki uses the term "quad" to refer to upcoming four-way meetings by Russia, Ukraine, the U.S. and EU; there has not been an official name for the meeting as of yet.
On the call with Yatsenyuk, Kerry, "thanked him for his leadership, encouraged him to continue efforts at inclusiveness across Ukraine.
They discussed the ongoing efforts by the Ukrainian government to continue to address the situation in eastern Ukraine peacefully," Psaki added.
The date and location for the quad meeting have not been set so far.
"In terms of the purpose of this, we''''ve always seen diplomacy and the opportunity to sit at the table and have discussions as being an important component of our efforts here," Psaki affirmed.
In addition to calling for the quad meeting Psaki added that the U.S. is involved in "an ongoing process that the legitimate government of Ukraine has going on the ground, which we''''re supporting them in, and that is leading up to an election." "This meeting is a part of many steps that we are taking in working closely with the government of Ukraine in their efforts to go through this transition period," she added. (end) ak.gb