Russia's 'window to change course is closing' - Kerry

WASHINGTON, April 25 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of State John Kerry increased pressure on Russia in his remarks late Thursday, indicating that Russia's "window to change course is closing," one week after the country failed to uphold commitments made at the Geneva talks.
"President Putin and Russia face a choice. If Russia chooses the path of de-escalation, the international community, all of us, will welcome it. If Russia does not, the world will make sure that the costs for Russia will only grow," said Kerry.
The Secretary cited Russia's increased violence against Ukraine noting Russian separatists' seizure of Ukrainian TV and radio stations, the kidnapping of the Sloviansk mayor, the body of a Ukrainian city council member found in a river and the kidnapping of a journalist, "bringing the total number of kidnapped journalists into the double digits.
"Now Russia claims that all of this is exaggerated, or even orchestrated," stressed Kerry.
He added, "If Russia continues in this direction, it will not just be a grave mistake, it will be an expensive mistake." The Russian central bank has spent over USD 20 billion to "defend the ruble, eroding Russia's buffers against external shocks," Kerry affirmed.
He also highlighted the state-sponsored program, Russia Today, that "has deployed to promote President Putin's fantasy about what is playing out on the ground.
"For seven days, Russia has refused to take a single concrete step in the right direction," he reiterated.
At the talks in Geneva, the countries had agreed that illegal groups would create a state of amnesty and return seized public buildings.
Kerry asserted "one week later, it is clear that only one side, one country, is keeping its word." In regards to Ukraine, Kerry noted that "the world has rightly judged that Prime Minister Yatsenyuk and the government of Ukraine are working in good faith, and the world, sadly, has rightly judged that Russia has put its faith in distraction, deception and destabilization.
"The simple reality is you can't resolve a crisis when only one side is willing to do what is necessary to avoid a confrontation," Kerry pointed out. (end) ak.hb