Kerry’s language was conciliatory, stressing areas in which the two nations can cooperate despite their deep differences.
Although Russia recently withdrew some troops from its border with Ukraine, Kerry said Western economic sanctions will not be lifted unless Russia pulls back its heavy weaponry from the frontier and allows observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to monitor and secure the border.
He said another precondition is the release of all prisoners held amid the conflict. He specifically cited the case of Nadiya Savchenko, a helicopter navigator who turned into a symbol of Ukrainian resistance after she was detained by pro-Moscow separatists in a firefight in eastern Ukraine and ended up in a Russian prison.
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