Top U.S., Russian diplomats meet over Ukraine ceasefire

U.S. State Secretary John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met here on Monday morning over Ukraine situaiton ahead of the opening of the 28th Human Rights Council session to which they both later gave a speech.

The two diplomats discussed the state of the latest ceasefire in Ukraine, which had been agreed in Minsk and entered into force in February.

"The ceasefire must be respected in all areas, including the town of Debaltseve and outside the city of Mariupol," Kerry told a news conference, adding that he has told Lavrov that Russia will "face consequences" if it failed in implementing a ceasefire.

While the two top diplomats were meeting, the United Nations Human Rights Office released its latest report on the death toll in Ukraine, saying that more than 6,000 people have died in eastern Ukraine since the start of the conflict almost a year ago.

"If that does not happen, if there continue to be these broad swathes of non-compliance ... then there would be inevitably further consequences that would place further strain on Russia's already troubled economy," Kerry said.

Kerry also said he had discussed other topics while meeting his Russian counterpart, including negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme and the ongoing crisis in Syria. Endit