Agreement Reached to Ease Tensions in Eastern Ukraine

After several hours of foreign minister-level negotiations among Russia, Ukraine, the European Union and the United States in Geneva on April 17, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced in separate press conferences that the four sides have agreed on a document calling for de-escalation in eastern Ukraine. The document demands that protesters lay down their arms and vacate occupied buildings in the region. In return, the Kiev government will begin decentralizing power and will offer amnesty to protesters, except those found guilty of capital crimes.