Russian stock market rises 2 percent on Geneva deal

The Russian stock market rose 2 percent after the limited agreement reached in Geneva Thursday between US, Russian, EU and Ukrainian leaders to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis. While US Secretary John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were upbeat about the deal, President Barack Obama reacted with skeptical comments about Moscow following through by ordering its supporters in E. Ukraine to abandon the buildings they had seized in a dozen cities. Obama therefore left more sanctions on the table.

DEBKAfile: The Geneva agreement omitted mention of the Russian troop concentrations on Ukraine’s border. Earlier, in an A& Q session, Vladimir Putin stressed Russia’s right to use military force in Ukraine if it were deemed necessary.