Russian President Vladimir Putin has been urged by his US counterpart Barack Obama to accept the terms of a potential diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.
The two men spoke on the phone for an hour on Thursday night, after which the Russian leader said the two sides were still far apart.
Crimea's parliament voted on Thursday to join Russia, and announced they will hold a referendum in nine days.
The move sparked a dramatic escalation in the crisis - and was immediately condemned by Mr Obama.
Cossacks stand guard outside the parliament building in Simferopol, Crimea Former Kremlin spin doctor Gleb Pavlovsky said there was now a greater danger of shots being fired in Crimea.
"Russia is encouraging the action of local forces," he said.
"We are at a very dangerous point, and it threatens to push a political crisis in the direction of a military situation."
An anti-Putin protest outside the White House Mr Obama ordered sanctions on those responsible for Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine, including bans on travel to America and freezing of their US assets
He also echoed European Union leaders and the pro-Western government in Ukraine in insisting the referendum would violate international law.
Pro-Russian demonstrators try to overturn a vehicle in Donetsk He said Russians and Ukrainians involved in what he called "threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" would be punished - although a US official said Mr Putin was not on the list of those to be sanctioned.
"The proposed referendum on the future of Crimea would violate the Ukrainian constitution and violate international law," Mr Obama told reporters at the White House.
"Any discussion about the future of Ukraine must include the legitimate government of Ukraine."
But in a statement released by the Kremlin early on Friday, Mr Putin said Kiev's new authorities had imposed "absolutely illegitimate decisions on the eastern, southeastern and Crimea regions".
"Russia cannot ignore calls for help in this matter and it acts accordingly, in full compliance with the international law," he said.
The sudden acceleration of efforts to bring Crimea, which has an ethnic Russian majority and has effectively been seized by Russian forces, formally under Moscow's rule came as EU leaders held an emergency summit on the crisis.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says if the first round of sanctions against Russia do not work, there could be more targeting of businesses and individuals close to Mr Putin, Reuters reported.
:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Ukraine: Obama Urges Putin Over Crimea Deal
Dengan url
https://miekeritingting.blogspot.com/2014/03/ukraine-obama-urges-putin-over-crimea.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Ukraine: Obama Urges Putin Over Crimea Deal
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Ukraine: Obama Urges Putin Over Crimea Deal
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar