Ukraine: At Center of Ukraine Talks, Degrees of Decentralizing

May 13, 2014 | David M. Herszenhornd, The New York Times
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KIEV, Ukraine — National “round-table” talks seeking to resolve Ukraine’s six-month political crisis by finding a formula for decentralizing power will begin Wednesday against a seemingly formidable array of obstacles.First is the matter of who will talk to whom. Ukrainian government officials have said they will speak with their antagonists in the east, but not those with “blood on their hands.” That would appear to rule out most of the leaders of the pro-Russian uprising in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions who are backed by armed militants, which could hurt the credibility of the talks.