U.S., Russia, EU Agree to Framework to De-Escalate Ukraine Tensions

Agreement Includes Demobilizing Militias, Vacating Seized Ukranian Government Buildings

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya, right, to discuss the ongoing situation in Ukraine on Thursday in Geneva. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

GENEVA—The U.S., Russia and European Union agreed to a framework of steps to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine, including demobilizing militias, vacating seized Ukrainian government buildings, and establishing a political reform program, U.S. and Russian officials said Thursday.

The agreement was reached during more than six hours of talks in Geneva and marked the first tangible step to defuse the political and security crisis in Ukraine since Russia annexed the Crimean region last month, said U.S. and Russian officials.

"The Geneva meeting on the situation in Ukraine agreed on initial concrete steps to de-escalate tensions and restore security for all citizens," the participants in the talks said in a joint-statement. "All sides must refrain from any violence, intimidation or provocative actions."

The negotiations included U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, and acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia.

The sides also agreed that monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe oversee the implementation of the agreed steps in Ukraine.