U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry departed Washington on Wednesday for high-stakes talks on Ukraine as tensions in the region escalated sharply. The United States and the European Union (EU) will hold their first four-way talks with Ukraine and Russia on Thursday to address a worsening crisis, although U.S. officials have set low expectations for the Geneva meeting. Kerry will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya, and chief EU diplomat Catherine Ashton for what are expected to be tense negotiations. Observers are skeptical about the chances of success.