DHAKA: Diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in Ukraine are gathering pace as US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov prepare to hold crucial talks in Paris.

The US wants independent observers in the flashpoint region of Crimea and direct talks between Kiev and Moscow.

Russia is likely to call for greater representation for Ukraine’s Russian-speaking areas in the Kiev government.

Meanwhile, the EU has announced an 11bn euro aid package to Ukraine.

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said the package of loans and grants over the next two years is ‘designed to assist a committed, inclusive and reforms-oriented government’ in Kiev.

Ukraine’s finance ministry has predicted it needs $35bn to rescue its economy, reports the BBC.

BDST: 1906 HRS, MAR 05, 2014