Russia must pull back its troop from Ukraine: John Kerry

Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry has told that Russia must pull back its troops from the Ukrainian border to deescalate the tension following Crimea’s takeover by Moscow.

“We talked very seriously and at length about the impact of the massing of troops and the importance of including the drawdown and redeployment of some of those troops with respect to the process moving forward,” he said.

It’s not up to the US or Russia to make any decision or any agreement regarding federalization, Kerry said.

“We talked about it. But it’s up to Ukrainians, and Ukrainians will decide their future for themselves, by themselves, with respect to what kind of definitions work for them. And it will have to be an input, obviously, of what the Russian view is,” he said.
“What we are looking for is how do we deescalate it, how do we get on a track to be able to give the Ukrainians the opportunity that they deserve to be able to do that,” Kerry said.

Kerry said the Ukrainian Government has demonstrated remarkable restraint in the face of enormous pressure.

“It has shown the world a kind of courage and resilience that every country ought to applaud. And as it continues down this path, the United States of America and our partners will remain firmly by its side,” he said.