Lavrov, Kerry meet over Ukraine as UN puts death toll above 6,000

The top diplomats of Russia and the United States met Monday amid ongoing enmity over the conflict in Ukraine’s restive east  — a year-long conflict that has seen more than 6,000 people killed, new figures from the United Nations suggests.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva, less than a week after Kerry accused Moscow of lying to his face over its involvement in its neighbor’s affairs.

The meeting, during which Kerry said he warned Lavrov that Washington would impose further sanctions on Russia should a current ceasefire between Kiev and pro-Moscow separatists not hold, came amid a current lull in fighting between the two sides.

The relative quiet on the conflict’s front lines — despite accusations by both sides of violations — has raised hopes that the shaky truce could develop into something more permanent.

Underscoring the urgent need for a cessation of violence, the UN released a report Monday that outlined the cost of a year of fighting.

The conflict has led to "merciless devastation of civilian lives and infrastructure," the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a report covering the period from December to February.

The UN report also suggested that the Russian military is exacerbating the human cost of the war. Moscow has been accused — but has always denied — sending arms across its border to aid separatist groups.

Last week, both sides began withdrawing heavy artillery from front lines. But it followed weeks of heavy fighting, particularly near Donetsk airport and in the Debaltseve area. The strategic railroad town was captured from Ukrainian government forces last month by pro-Russian separatists.

While Russia denies its troops are fighting in Ukraine, the U.N. cited "credible reports (that) indicate a continuing flow of heavy weaponry and foreign fighters" from Russia.

"This has sustained and enhanced the capacity of armed groups of the self-proclaimed 'Donetsk people's republic' and 'Luhansk people's republic' to resist Government armed forces and to launch new offensives in some areas, including around the Donetsk airport, Mariupol and Debaltseve," the report said.

U.N. rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein said many civilians remain in embattled areas "because they fear for their lives if they try to move."

"Many others stay to protect children, other family members, or their property," while some are forced to stay or unable to leave, he said.

The report cited "credible allegations of arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearances, committed mostly by the armed groups but in some instances also by the Ukrainian law enforcement agencies." It noted video footage that appeared to support allegations of summary executions by the rebels.

The displacement of 1 million people within the country, about 2 percent of the population, has also increased the risk for women from sex traffickers, the report found. 

Zeid called on all sides to comply with the recent accord signed in the Belarusian capital.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's president signed a decree Monday opening the way to a formal request for international peacekeepers to be stationed in eastern regions, where government forces are battling Russian-backed separatists.

President Petro Poroshenko's office said the appeal for a contingent of peacekeepers would be addressed to the United Nations and the European Union. His office gave no specific details on the mission's composition or any timetable for it, but Russia is strongly opposed to the idea and would likely use its position on the U.N. Security Council to rebuff any such efforts. 

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press