John Kerry Speaks in Kiev
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: And we understand the importance of all those who have been advocates of a free and Democratic Ukraine and all those who understand the importance of the effort being expended by the people of Ukraine. It makes it all the more important that we are there for the long term and for the future. Today, I was very pleased to hear in all of my meetings that the government remains very committed to the path of reform, and the reform process, though difficult, is part of the economic future of Ukraine. That is, in fact, Ukraine's best weapon in the end in terms of this fight for sovereignty and independence and democracy. The more the reforms take hold, the more the reforms take place, the more there will be investment from the outside, the more opportunity there will be to deal with the economic crisis, and the more the people of Ukraine will believe that they are getting exactly what they fought for, which is important. The prime minister, the president, the foreign minister each highlighted the efforts to me that are already under way in order to root out corruption, to reform the judicial and the energy sector, to fix Ukraine's financial system, and to improve the business climate. Now, obviously, we are focused first and foremost on stopping the violence that has torn through eastern Ukraine. Since last April, more than 5, 350 people have been killed, thousands of residential buildings have been completely destroyed. The shelling by the separatists is indiscriminate, hitting hospitals, schools and public areas where civilians wait in line for a bus for transportation, for food, and for supplies. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee, leaving everything behind, that's if they're even able to be able to get out. Families are huddled in basements and train stations without food, without heat, without electricity, not knowing whether they will be able or when they might be able to leave. So this is the reality that far too many people are facing here in this conflict. As a result of that, as the prime minister mentioned a moment ago, the United States is committing another several million dollars, $16.5 million, immediately in order to help those Ukrainians most affected by the conflict in the Donbas. And like other humanitarian aid that we have provided since the conflict began, these funds are going to support the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the U.N. Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs, and other organizations, and it is money that will be specifically directed to go to the east, to the very place that Russia's aid to the separatists and the separatists' efforts are having the most negative impact. So we're not overlooking even that area of conflict. This announcement brings the total U.S. assistance to Ukraine to more than $355 million since the crisis began for the purpose of addressing these kinds of emergency humanitarian needs. That's outside of other assistance that we have provided directly to the government in various other forms, and outside of the loan guarantees that I just mentioned. Now, we are deeply concerned that the violence in Ukraine is accelerating. That's why I'm here. That's why President Hollande and Chancellor Merkel are here. That's why this weekend we will meet again in Munich, the Munich conference with Vice President Biden, with Chancellor Merkel and others, in order to continue the diplomacy that is taking place here today. Far from meeting the Minsk commitments, Russia and the separatists are seizing more territory, terrorizing more citizens, and refusing to participate in serious negotiations. Let there be no doubt about who is blocking the prospect of peace here. They continue to refuse Ukraine the control of its own border -- its own border. This is an international border recognized as the sovereign property and line of demarcation of a nation state in the modern world. Yet Russia with impunity, seemingly, has acted to cross that border at will with weapons, with personnel, with the instruments of death that they are bringing into Ukraine. Russia and the separatists are seizing more territory and continuing to refuse control to Ukraine of its rights as a sovereign nation. Russian weapons and fighters -- and I might add, this is not an accusation without foundation. We live in a modern world of great technology. Everybody understands the ability to see things from high altitudes, whether it's in space or lower. And the fact is we have been tracing and we have seen exactly what they're bringing over, when and how, and there's no question about tanks flowing, rocket systems being transported, convoys of goods carrying both people, weapons and other instruments of battle. So, unfortunately, a large propaganda system in their media continues to spew what can only be characterized as lies about what is happening on the ground and who is responsible for violence. Now, we know one thing for sure. President Putin can make the choices that could end this war together, with President Poroshenko's choices to move towards peace as he has evidenced he is prepared to do and wants to do and has done so in good faith in his effort to sign on to the Minsk agreements. As I have said repeatedly, there have been a number of off-ramps for Russia to take over the course of the past months, but unfortunately they've been left in the rear view mirror. Those off-ramps are narrowing and there's still an opportunity to be able to seize them. There is a way back to better ties with Europe, with the west, with the United States. There is a way to get back to a cooperative set of measures that we can take together. But it begins with a cease-fire and with allowing Russia -- allowing Ukraine to control its own international border and respect that border and begin to move the heavy machinery, the heavy weapons of war, out to the opposite side of that border. It also begins with the release of political prisoners including Nadia Savchenko and others. As soon as these choices are made, this situation can improve. The only way that it ends is through diplomacy. We have no illusions that there is a, quote, military solution. And contrary to some comments that I've read in the last days coming from some of the folks who have made the choices to fuel this conflict, we are not choosing a military outcome. We are choosing a peaceful solution through diplomacy. But you cannot have a one-sided peace. It takes the parties to come together in an effort to try to achieve it. Now, people thought that had happened with the Minsk agreement, that that was a significant step with a significant road forward to be able to achieve a different outcome. No one, not Ukraine, not the United States, not our European partners, want this conflict with Russia to continue another day, not another day. All we're asking is, though, that Russia and the separatists support and honor the commitments that they made, that they implement a real cease-fire, including by pulling back those heavy weapons from the cease-fire line at the border, that they remove foreign troops and equipment from Ukraine, that hostages are released and ultimately that they respect the international border and Ukrainian sovereignty. I can guarantee you the United States of America help be a guarantor of that kind of a peace if it can be achieved. For its part --</s>JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: You've been listening to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in Kiev meeting with the leaders of Ukraine, talking about the grave situation in the eastern part of that country, the Ukrainian military battling pro-Russian separatists. In some cases, the secretary says Russians themselves are seizing more territory, terrorizing more civilians. He says there's no ambiguity about it. Whatever propaganda that coming out to the contrary, he says, is simply lies.</s>KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Simply lies. The big question and what all the reporters are waiting for, is being able to ask questions about what the United States is going to be able to do in terms of doing more. Are they going to be able to provide defensive lethal aid as debated within the administration, we are hearing? Are they going to go through with that? That's part of the conversation going forward. We'll keep you updated as this develops. We'll be right back after this.