Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said progress in de-escalating the Ukraine crisis is possible only if both sides hold direct talks. He said there were no new international talks planned for now. <br /><br /> Lavrov was speaking at a joint news conference with Uganda’s foreign minister.<br /><br /> “We respect the will of the people of Donetsk and Luhansk and we are counting on practical implementation of the outcome in a civilized manner, without any repeat of violence, through dialogue between representatives of Kyiv, Donetsk and Luhansk,” said Lavrov.<br /><br /> Some “yes” voters saw Sunday’s referendum as a move toward an eventual union with Russia. <br /><br /> Moscow denies any ambition to absorb Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking east into the Russian Federation.
