EU, OSCE seek to defuse Ukraine crisis

KIEV: The European Union (EU) was intensifying diplomatic efforts on Tuesday to get Ukraine’s leadership and pro-Moscow rebels to the negotiating table, as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said Moscow supports a de-escalation roadmap for the crisis.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier kicks things off with an early morning visit to Kiev to support a “national dialogue” between Ukraine and the pro-Russian regions in the east, said his spokesman in Berlin.