Ukraine's acting prime minister urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to pull back his military Sunday in the conflict between the two countries, warning that "we are on the brink of disaster."
Associated Press journalists say hundreds of unidentified gunmen have just arrived outside Ukraine's infantry base in Privolnoye in its Crimea region and are blocking soldiers from leaving.
Reporters also spotted 12 military trucks carrying troops, an armoured vehicle armed with a machine gun, and two ambulances on the road from Sevastopol — the Crimean port where Russia has its key Black Sea naval base — to the regional capital of Simferopol.
The convoy of Russian troops rolled toward Simferopol a day after Russian forces appeared to take over the strategic Black Sea peninsula without firing a shot.
"There was no reason for the Russian Federation to invade Ukraine," Yatsenyuk said after a closed session of his new parliament in Kyiv.
So far, the new government in Kyiv has been powerless to do much to react to Russian military tactics.
"Ukraine is calling up all army reservists, getting this country combat ready," CBC News correspondent Susan Ormiston said, reporting from Crimea.
Ormiston said there are reports the Ukrainian army is trying to protect its own caches of munitions.
The BBC is reporting that Russian soldiers are digging trenches where the Crimea peninsula meets the mainland.
A group of armed unidentified gunmen was spotted cutting electric power to general headquarters of the Ukrainian naval forces in Sevastopol, at the southwestern tip of Crimea.
Putin has defied calls from the West to pull back his troops, insisting that Russia has a right to protect its interests and Russian-speakers in Crimea and elsewhere in Ukraine. However, there has been no sign of ethnic Russians facing attacks in Crimea, where they make up about 60 per cent of the population, or elsewhere in Ukraine.
U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with Putin by telephone for 90 minutes on Saturday and expressed his "deep concern" about "Russia's clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity," the White House said. Obama warned that Russia's "continued violation of international law will lead to greater political and economic isolation."
But the U.S. and other Western governments have few options to counter Russia's military moves.
Countries pulling out of pre-G8 meetings
The U.S. on Saturday said it will suspend participation in "preparatory meetings" for the Group of Eight economic summit planned in June to be held at the Black Sea resort of Sochi, site of the just-concluded 2014 Winter Olympics.
CBC correspondent Susan Ormiston is in Ukraine. Follow her reports on CBC News Network during the day and each night on CBC's The National. You can follow her on Twitter @Ormistononline
Canada, too, will boycott meetings leading up to the G8 summit, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Saturday. The G8 host changes every year, and 2014 is Russia's turn. The G8 host normally holds several planning meetings among finance ministers, foreign ministers and other top officials.
However, Canadian athletes will still compete in the upcoming Paralympics in Sochi, the Prime Minister's Office said late Saturday. The games are set for March 7 to March 16.
Harper said Canada supports the United Nations sending international monitors to Ukraine and is also involved in multilateral talks to put together a financial aid package for the beleaguered country.
On Sunday, Britain said it will suspend its participation in preparations for a G8 meeting in Sochi.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius went on French radio Europe on Sunday to say that planning for the summit should be put on hold. France "condemns the Russian military escalation" in Ukraine, and Moscow must "realize that decisions have costs," he said.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen issued a statement on Sunday, urging "all parties to urgently continue all efforts to move away from this dangerous situation."
An unidentified armed man stands guard outside a Ukraine infantry base in Privolnoye, in Ukraine's Crimea region. Hundreds of gunmen arrived outside the base on Sunday in vehicles with Russian licence plates and blocking Ukrainian soldiers from entering or leaving it. (Darko Vojinovic/Associated Press)
"In particular, I call on Russia to de-eslate tensions," he said.
Ukraine is not a NATO member, meaning the U.S. and Europe are not obligated to come to its defence. But Ukraine has taken part in some alliance military exercises and contributed troops to its response force.
Rasmussen called Ukraine a "valued partner for NATO."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday condemned Russia's "incredible act of aggression" in Ukraine and threatened "very serious repercussions" from the United States and other countries, including sanctions to isolate Russia economically.
Kerry told the CBS program Face the Nation that Russia is invading another country on a "completely trumped up pre-text." The Russian president has said the military action is needed to protect Russian citizens in Crimea.
Security increased at nuclear plants
Ukraine's acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, announced late Saturday that he had ordered Ukraine's armed forces to be at full readiness because of the threat of "potential aggression." He also said he had ordered stepped-up security at nuclear power plants, airports and other strategic infrastructure.
A Ukrainian man stands in protest in front of gunmen in unmarked uniforms as they stand guard in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin wrested control of the Ukrainian Black Sea region of Crimea from Kyiv on Saturday, citing a threat to Russian citizens and servicemen based there. (Andrew Lubimov/Associated Press)
On Crimea, however, Ukrainian troops have offered no resistance.
The new government came to power last week following months of pro-democracy protests against the now-fugitive president, Viktor Yanukovych, and his decision to turn Ukraine toward Russia instead of the European Union.
Ukraine's population of 46 million is divided in loyalties between Russia and Europe, with much of western Ukraine advocating closer ties with the EU, while eastern and southern regions look to Russia for support. Crimea, a semi-autonomous region that Russia gave to Ukraine in the 1950s, is mainly Russian-speaking.
Political turmoil in Ukraine pushed Yanukovych from office after he rejected a partnership agreement with the European Union in favour of deepening his country's historical ties with Moscow.
Yanukovych held a news conference in southern Russia on Friday in which he said he was not asking Moscow for military assistance and called military action "unacceptable."
Yanukovych, who still considers himself Ukraine's president, also vowed to "keep fighting for the future of Ukraine" and blamed the U.S. and the West for encouraging the rebellion that forced him to flee last weekend.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Ukraine, Russia 'on brink of disaster' over Crimea
Dengan url
http://topstorinfo.blogspot.com/2014/03/ukraine-russia-on-brink-of-disaster.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Ukraine, Russia 'on brink of disaster' over Crimea
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Ukraine, Russia 'on brink of disaster' over Crimea
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar