Lavrov Says Four-Party Talks On Ukraine Still On Agenda

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says a planned April 17 four-party meeting on Ukraine remains on the agenda for now.

Russia previously had said the use of force against pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine would imperil the talks in Geneva between Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and the European Union.

Ukraine's security forces retook a small military air base in the east in an "antiterrorist" operation launched on April 15.

The separatists continue to occupy official buildings in about nine eastern Ukrainian cities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Ukraine is "on the verge of civil war."

Ukraine's parliament is to discuss the crisis in the east behind closed doors on April 16.

The UN Security Council is due to meet later on April 16 to discuss the human rights situation in Ukraine.

Based on reporting by Interfax, ITAR-TASS, and UNIAN