LONDON -- British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Wednesday vowed to try "every diplomatic opportunity" to de-escalate crisis in Ukraine.
"We are trying to use every diplomatic opportunity to bring Russia and Ukraine into direct contact with each other at a senior level to make sure that the governments of Russia and Ukraine are talking to each other," Hague said at a press conference.
The press conference came after he met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and interim Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya in Paris on Wedneday.
Hague called for the establishment of a "contact group" to facilitate talks over the Ukraine stalemate.
"There's a very strong common understanding between the United States and the United Kingdom of what we need to do in terms of now trying to create a contact group or co-ordination group," he said.
"We will at all times keep our channels of communication to Russia open," he added.
Moreover, Hague underlined the importance for the European Council to "demonstrate that there are costs and consequences to Russia," warning that the "consequences" may happen both in the short term and in the long term.
