http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/05/world/europe/ukraine-russia-kerry-osce.html 2014-12-04 14:37:28 Kerry, Saying Russians Died in Ukraine, Urges Moscow to Carry Out Peace Accord Russia has steadfastly refused to acknowledge that it has ordered its own forces into Ukraine or that its military has suffered significant casualties there. === BASEL, Switzerland — Secretary of State Mr. Kerry’s remarks were among the sharpest he has delivered on the crisis and were made shortly before he met here with Sergey V. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister. “Regrettably, Russia continues to supply new weapons and increase support for armed separatists,” Mr. Kerry said in Basel at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which has sent teams to Ukraine to monitor a shaky cease-fire. “In doing so, it fails to meet its international and O.S.C.E. obligations and to live up to an agreement that it actually negotiated and signed.” He added, “The result is damage to its credibility, and its own citizens wind up paying a steep economic and human price, including the price of hundreds of Russian soldiers who fight and die in a country where they had and have no right to be.” Russia has steadfastly refused to acknowledge that it has ordered its own forces into Ukraine or that its military has suffered significant casualties there. Mr. Kerry’s comments appear to be a calculated effort to highlight this allegation. Mr. Lavrov declined to respond to Mr. Kerry’s allegation about Russian military casualties when the two diplomats shook hands at the start of the meeting. “This is not a press conference,” Mr. Lavrov said in response to a question from a reporter. “I heard what you said.” Mr. Lavrov was more discursive in his comments to the meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Russian diplomat called the protests that led to the resignation of President He also asserted that the Kremlin was still committed to carrying out the Minsk agreement. Mr. Kerry also met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Pavlo Klimkin. “We’re still working on a real sustainable cease-fire,” Mr. Klimkin said. “And now it’s about Russia, to deliver.” Mr. Kerry said, “His answer stands.”