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           Kerry Reaffirms US Support for Europe on Ukraine, Refugees

   by VOA News

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has affirmed the strong bond between
   the United States and Europe, saying the United States has "a profound
   interest" in its strength and success as it faces new tensions with
   Russia and a near-unprecedented flood of refugees.

   Kerry made his comments in a speech Saturday at the NATO security
   conference in Munich, assuring U.S. allies of Washington's support in
   the Ukraine crisis, the refugee crisis mainly caused from the Syrian
   conflict, and the question of whether Britain will remain in the
   European Union.

   Medvedev: West has re-started Cold War

   Just hours after remarks by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev
   accused the West of restarting the Cold War, Kerry said, "It is clear
   today that while the Cold War is long over, the need for courage and
   resolve in defending liberty and pursuing peace is just as vital as it
   was a half century ago."

   ''However, Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said that
   coordination between the Russian and U.S. military is needed for a
   cease-fire to work in the Syrian conflict.

   Speaking after Kerry and Medvedev, Lavrov said Saturday that everyday
   military cooperation between those two countries in particular is "the
   key tool" to ensure delivery of humanitarian supplies and an end to
   hostilities. He complained that coordination has not gone beyond an
   agreement to avoid incidents among military aircraft.

   Asked by the chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Ambassador
   Wolfgang Ischinger,  how confident he was on a 1 to 100 scale that a
   "cessation of hostilities" will be implemented within a week as
   planned, Lavrov replied "49."

   British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, sitting next to Lavrov, said
   it sounded more like "somewhere close to zero."

   Minsk agreement

   On Ukraine, Kerry said Russia must comply with the requirements of a
   peace agreement brokered by Germany and France in Minsk, Belarus last
   year. He said, "Russia has a simple choice: fully implement Minsk or
   continue to face economically damaging sanctions."

   He said to get rid of the sanctions, Russia must withdraw weapons and
   troops from Ukraine's Donbas region, ensure that all Ukrainian hostages
   are returned; allow humanitarian aid into occupied territories; support
   free and fair elections in Donbas; and restore Ukraine's control of its
   side of the international border.

   Refugee crisis

   Of the refugee crisis, Kerry said the United States recognizes that
   while the crisis is "not yet" on American shores, the U.S. has a moral
   obligation to do more to assist in the relief effort. He noted that the
   United States recently pledged an additional $925 million to provide
   emergency care, education, and job help for refugees and the displaced.
   He said the new monies are an addition to the $4.5 billion the U.S.
   pledged previously.

   Earlier Saturday at the same conference, Russian Prime Minister told
   delegates that "NATO's policies related to Russia remain unfriendly and
   opaque. One could even go so far as to say we have slid back to a new
   Cold War."

   His words echoed a similar assessment by Russian President Vladimir
   Putin at the same Munich Security Conference in 2007. But Medvedev said
   the situation has worsened since then. He said Saturday "the picture is
   more grim; the developments since 2007 have been worse than
   anticipated."

   German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday said Moscow
   and Kyiv, the major players in the dispute over Ukraine's Crimean
   peninsula, must move forward on implementing the peace deal worked out
   in Minsk last year. He said "not talking to each other in times of
   crisis can't be the answer," and said in a written statement the
   parties are "a fair way" away from implementing the deal.

   NATO military build up

   On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with the head of
   NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, on the sidelines of the security conference
   after the Western military alliance and the United States announced
   plans for the biggest military buildup in Europe since the Cold War.

   Russia's TASS state news agency said Lavrov expressed concern about the
   Western military alliance's plans to strengthen its presence on
   Russia's borders.

   Earlier Friday, Russian news agencies said Lavrov and Stoltenberg
   discussed holding a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council, but agreed that
   the agenda for the meeting still needs to be worked out.

   NATO said on its website Friday that Stoltenberg and Lavrov "reviewed
   NATO-Russia relations and agreed to continue exploring the possibility
   of a NATO-Russia Council meeting."

   The United States is to quadruple military spending in Europe to $3.4
   billion in 2017 as NATO increases troops on rotation and training,
   stockpiles military hardware and arms, and forms a rapid reaction
   force.

   Russia has called NATO's moves a threat to stability in Europe.  The
   military alliance says the news plans are aimed at reassuring eastern
   European allies concerned about Russian aggression.

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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-reaffirms-us-support-for-europe-on-ukraine-refugees/3189541.html