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Ukraine crisis: Kerry and Lavrov set for Geneva discussions Ukraine crisis: Kerry and Lavrov hold Geneva discussions
(about 3 hours later)
US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet his Russian counterpart later for talks in Geneva on the Ukraine crisis. US Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting his Russian counterpart for the first time since he accused Russia of lying about its role in Ukraine's war.
The talks come ahead of a new UN report documenting human rights violations by Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia rebels. The talks with Sergei Lavrov in Geneva coincide with a UN report on human rights violations and the humanitarian crisis in east Ukraine.
Mr Kerry is also expected to call for a transparent inquiry into the killing of a Russian opposition politician. The UN says the conflict has claimed at least 6,000 lives, with hundreds killed in the past few weeks alone.
Boris Nemtsov is believed to have been working on a report detailing the presence of Russian troops in Ukraine before he was shot in Moscow on Friday. A fragile ceasefire is holding despite some fighting in recent days.
His allies have accused the Kremlin of involvement, but Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the murder as "vile" and vowed to find the killers. At his meeting in Geneva, Mr Kerry is also expected to raise the brutal murder of a Russian opposition politician in Moscow on Friday.
The BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in Geneva says Mr Kerry will be pressing Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for an investigation into not only who pulled the trigger, but who ordered, funded and coordinated the murder. Boris Nemtsov, who was shot on a bridge near the Kremlin, had been planning an anti-war rally and was said to be working on a report to expose the presence of Russian troops in Ukraine.
Later John Kerry and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will renew their negotiations on Tehran's nuclear programme. His allies accused the Kremlin of involvement but Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the murder as "vile" and vowed to find the killers.
There is an end of March deadline to finally reach agreement on limiting the programme, in return for an easing of economic sanctions on Iran. Mr Kerry will press for an investigation that he said should examine not only who pulled the trigger, but who ordered, funded and co-ordinated Mr Nemtsov's murder.
Fragile ceasefire Separately, the US secretary of state is also expected to renew negotiations with Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Tehran's nuclear programme.
There is an end of March deadline to reach agreement on limiting the programme, in return for an easing of economic sanctions on Iran.
'Craven behaviour'
The talks on Ukraine are expected to be tense after Mr Kerry last week accused Russian officials of lying to him about Moscow's support for rebels in eastern Ukraine.The talks on Ukraine are expected to be tense after Mr Kerry last week accused Russian officials of lying to him about Moscow's support for rebels in eastern Ukraine.
During a visit to London on 21 February, Mr Kerry accused the Kremlin of "craven behaviour" in its support for the rebels in east Ukraine, undermining a ceasefire.
Speaking to the US Senate on Wednesday, he said: "[The Russians] have been persisting in their misrepresentations, lies, whatever you want to call them, about their activities there [in eastern Ukraine] to my face, to the face of others, on many different occasions."
Fighting began in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions last April, a month after Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula.
The UN estimates that at least 1.25 million have fled their homes, and believes that the real number of fatalities could be considerably higher than the 6,000 it has given.
In its latest report, released on Monday, it refers to credible accounts of heavy weapons and foreign fighters continuing to flow into eastern Ukraine from Russia.
The Ukrainian government, Western leaders and Nato say there is clear evidence that Russia is helping the rebels with heavy weapons and soldiers.The Ukrainian government, Western leaders and Nato say there is clear evidence that Russia is helping the rebels with heavy weapons and soldiers.
Independent experts echo that accusation but Moscow denies it, insisting that any Russians serving with the rebels are "volunteers".Independent experts echo that accusation but Moscow denies it, insisting that any Russians serving with the rebels are "volunteers".
A fragile ceasefire continues to hold in Ukraine despite some violence in recent days. Both sides in the conflict have been pulling back some heavy weaponry from the front line - one of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement signed in the Belarusian capital Minsk last month.
On Saturday, Ukrainian photographer Sergiy Nikolayev was killed after being hit by a mortar shell in the village of Pisky near Donetsk. A senior official in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Eduard Basurin, told the BBC on Monday the rebels had withdrawn "absolutely 100%" of heavy weapons from the front line in line with the Minsk agreement.
Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said eight soldiers had been injured over the weekend by rebel shelling, while a separatist spokesman said Ukraine's armed forces had also fired mortar rounds near Donetsk. He went on to accuse the Ukrainian government of "only withdrawing anti-tank weapons".
'Encouraging signs' The government accused the rebels on Sunday of "simulating" a withdrawal of heavy weapons.
Both sides have begun pulling back some heavy weaponry from the front line - one of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement signed in the Belarusian capital Minsk last month.
Monitors from the OSCE security group have reported weapons movements on both sides but say it is too early to confirm a full withdrawal.Monitors from the OSCE security group have reported weapons movements on both sides but say it is too early to confirm a full withdrawal.
Speaking at the UN Security Council on Friday, OSCE envoy to Ukraine Heidi Tagliavini said the current situation was at a "crossroads" where the risk of further escalation remained high despite "encouraging signs". Meanwhile violence continued over the weekend
A US official travelling with Mr Kerry told reporters it was "too soon to tell" if the ceasefire would lead to an end in violence.A US official travelling with Mr Kerry told reporters it was "too soon to tell" if the ceasefire would lead to an end in violence.
Fighting began in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions last April, a month after Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula.
The UN has estimated that around 6,000 people have died since then, although it believes the real figure could be considerably higher.