Presidents fail to find common ground during second phone call in six days on escalating crisis
Russia and the US are still stuck in a stalemate on Ukraine but
relations between the two countries should not be sacrificed because of
their differences, Vladimir Putin has said after a phone call with
Barack Obama.
President Putin's remarks were carried in a Kremlin statement issued
on Friday, following the Thursday night telephone call with President
Obama, the Reuters news agency reported.
"The discussion revealed the differences in the approaches and
assessments of the crisis and current situation," the statement said.
During the one-hour call the US leader urged his Russian counterpart to engage with diplomatic efforts to defuse a crisis that began with anti-government protests in November and this week escalated with a threat of secession in the strategically-important peninsula of Crimea after armed men seized government buildings and military installations.
