Russian foreign minister says Ukraine on brink of 'civil war' as new talks begin

May 14, 2014: Two armed pro-Russians walk towards a seized military track with a mortar atop that was set alight during fighting between pro-Russian militants and government troops at Oktyabrskoye village, about 12 miles from Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Ukraine's government launched a "national dialogue" of politicians and civic groups Wednesday aimed at keeping the country together, but the meeting didn't include rebel leaders who have declared independent republics in two eastern regions, and it produced no concrete results.

The European-backed talks came as #Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said its neighbor was on the brink of "civil war" as Kiev uses its army to attempt to suppress the armed militants. Ukraine has accused Russia of supporting the separatists, a charge Moscow denies.

At the meeting in Kiev, Ukraine's interim president, Oleksandr Turchynov, said the government was ready to hand more powers to the regions and to hold talks with everyone except for "those who with weapons in their hand try to wage war with their own country."

Few concrete steps to resolve the crisis were discussed at the more than two-hour session, where many participants were veteran politicians who delivered lengthy monologues and attacked each other's policies.
They agreed to hold another meeting, but it wasn't clear when or where. Some proposed Donetsk, the largest eastern city effectivelyunder separatist control, but others raised security concerns.

"We don't want the round table to go there and come away with only half its participants," said ex-President Leonid Kravchuk, who moderated the meeting. Mr. Kravchuk said the next gathering should be held by Monday.

The government has said it would hold several round tables across the country. Separatist representatives appear unlikely to be invited, although some of those present at the meeting pressed for their inclusion.
"Without their participation, the round tables will just be declarative," said Nestor Shufrych, a senior lawmaker from the Party of Regions that used to back ousted President Viktor Yanukovych and is most popular in eastern #Ukraine.

Ex-President Leonid Kuchma said he hadn't expected the Wednesday meeting to produce an immediate result. "We can't solve the problems in a day," he said. "We want to make a hot situation just warm."
Government forces are battling for control in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where armed pro-Russia separatists have seized government buildings. Over the weekend, residents in both regions voted for independence from Kiev, although the balloting was widely dismissed as illegitimate
Source: Fox News