Russia warns over Ukraine talks

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said armed action by Ukrainian authorities in the east of Ukraine could undermine forthcoming talks.Kiev earlier warned pro-Russian militants who stormed police stations in eastern towns on Saturday that they would be harshly dealt with.The US has accused Russia of “inciting” trouble in eastern Ukraine.Four-party talks involving Ukraine, Russia, the US and the EU are due to start in Geneva on Thursday.Mr Lavrov said Ukraine was “demonstrating its inability to take responsibility for the fate of the country”.Early on Sunday, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov announced that an “anti-terror” operation had begun in Sloviansk, one of the towns where armed men had stormed a police station.Russia has so far denied that it is directly responsible for the unrest.But the US says there has been a “concerted campaign” by forces with Russian support to undermine the authorities in Kiev.In a phone call, US Secretary of State John Kerry urged his Russian counterpart to de-escalate the situation or face additional consequences.He said the raids were similar to those which preceded the Russian annexation of Crimea earlierthis year.“If Russia does not take steps to de-escalate in eastern Ukraine and move its troops back from Ukraine’s border, there will be additional consequences” he warned.