1:40
Back in September, the two sides signed a truce in Minsk, Belarus that called for a cease-fire and an international monitors along the Ukraine-Russia border, but the deal collapsed. Each side accuse the other of bringing it down.
Following the meetings, Secretary Kerry said “President Putin can make the choices that could end this war.” Adding: \"Let there be no doubt about who is blocking the prospects for peace here,\" Kerry said, directly referring to Moscow.
In a sign of how seriously Europe is taking the recent escalation, this will be Merkel’s first trip to Moscow since the fighting broke out. \"We don't know if we will have long or short talks in Moscow or if these will be the last talks. We can only do what we can to resolve this conflict and especially to end the bloodshed,” she said at a press conference before departing for Moscow.
Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert tweeted: \"Chancellor Merkel on the way to Moscow tweets: We are not neutral agents but demand peace and self-determination of peoples.”
Kanzlerin #Merkel zur Reise nach Moskau: Wir sind keine neutralen Vermittler, sondern fordern Frieden und Selbstbestimmung der Völker.
— Steffen Seibert (@RegSprecher) February 6, 2015
The frantic diplomatic wrangling comes amid a debate in Washington whether to arm the Ukrainian military, a move both Germany or France believe could risk widening the conflict. Secretary Kerry said President Obama would decide “soon” whether to deliver lethal weapons to Kiev.
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