Ukraine's new prime minister urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to pull back his military, warning that 'we are on the brink of disaster.' NATO and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Russia's actions threaten peace in Europe.
Comments (31)
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: Sunday, March 2, 2014, 7:15 AM
Updated: Sunday, March 2, 2014, 1:51 PM
Ukrainian soldiers guard a gate of an infantry base in Privolnoye, Ukraine, Sunday.
PEREVALNE, Ukraine — Igniting a tense standoff, Russian forces surrounded a Ukrainian army base Sunday just as the country began mobilizing its military in response to the surprise Russian takeover of the Crimean Peninsula. Outrage over Russia’s tactics mounted in world capitals, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry calling on President Vladimir Putin to pull back from “an incredible act of aggression.”
Fearing that Europe’s borders were being rewritten by force, world leaders rushed to find a diplomatic solution to reverse what had already happened on the ground: Russia had captured the Black Sea peninsula on Saturday without firing a shot.
Hundreds of unidentified gunmen arrived outside Ukraine's infantry base in Privolnoye in its Crimea region.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said there was no reason for Russia to invade Ukraine and warned that “we are on the brink of disaster.”
“We believe that our western partners and the entire global community will support the territorial integrity and unity of Ukraine,” he said Sunday in Kiev.
The convoy includes at least 13 troop vehicles each containing 30 soldiers and four armored vehicles with mounted machine guns. The vehicles, which have Russian license plates, have surrounded the base and are blocking Ukrainian soldiers from entering or leaving it.
PHOTOS: RUSSIA SENDS TROOPS TO UKRAINIAN REGION OF CRIMEA
NATO held an emergency meeting in Brussels, Britain’s foreign minister flew to Kiev to support its new government and the U.S., France and Britain debated the possibility of boycotting the next Group of Eight economic summit, being held in June at Sochi, the host of Russia’s successful Winter Olympics.
CORRECTS NATIONALITY OF SOLDIERS - Russian soldiers walk near the Ukrainian general staff headquarters in Sevastopol, Sunday, March 2, 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin has defied calls from the West to pull back his troops, insisting that Russia has a right to protect its interests and the Russian-speaking population in Crimea and elsewhere in Ukraine.(AP Photo/Andrew Lubimov)
In Kiev, Moscow and other cities, thousands of protesters took to the streets to either decry the Russian occupation or celebrate Crimea’s return to its former ruler.
“Support us, America!” a handful of protesters chanted outside the U.S. Embassy in Kiev. One young girl held up a placard reading: “No Russian aggression!”
Troops displaying no identifying insignia and who were mingling with local pro-Russian militants stand guard outside a local government building in Simferopol, Ukraine, on Sunday.
“Russia! Russia!” the crowd chanted in Moscow.
Ukraine mobilized on Sunday for war and called up its reserves, after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to invade in the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the Cold War.
Kerry, interviewed Sunday on U.S. television news shows, talked about boycotting the G-8 summit, as well as possible visa bans, asset freezes and trade and investment penalties against Russia. Kerry said all the foreign ministers he had talked to were prepared “to go to the hilt” to isolate Russia.
Still, politicians tread carefully, knowing it was a very delicate time for Europe.
Police detain a protester demonstrating against the Russian military's actions in Crimea and developments in Russian-Ukrainian relations during an unsanctioned rally in St.Petersburg, Russia, Sunday.
“We are on a very dangerous track of increasing tensions,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. “(But) it is still possible to turn around. A new division of Europe can still be prevented.”
But so far, Ukraine’s new government and other countries have been powerless to counter Russian military tactics. Armed men in uniforms without insignia have moved freely about Crimea for days, occupying airports, smashing equipment at an air base and besieging a Ukrainian infantry base.
AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Mikhail Metzel
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with President Obama on Saturday.
RELATED: OBAMA, PUTIN SPEAK AFTER RUSSIA SENDS MORE SOLDIERS TO UKRAINE
Putin has defied calls from the West to pull back his troops, insisting that Russia has a right to protect its interests and those of Russian-speakers in Crimea and elsewhere in Ukraine. His confidence is matched by the knowledge that Ukraine’s 46 million people have divided loyalties between Russia and Europe. While much of western Ukraine wants closer ties with the EU, its eastern and southern regions like Crimea look to Russia for support.
Pawel Supernak/ EPA
Protesters hold a banner 'Putin executioner' during a demonstration under the slogan 'Putin! Hands off the Crimea' in front of Russia Embassy in Warsaw, Poland Sunday.
Russia has long wanted to reclaim the lush Crimean Peninsula, which was part of its territory until 1954. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet pays Ukraine millions every year to be stationed at the Crimean port of Sevastopol and nearly 60 percent of Crimea’s residents identify themselves as Russian.
The new Ukrainian government came to power last week following months of pro-democracy protests against a pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, and his decision to turn Ukraine toward Russia instead of the European Union. Yanukovych fled to Russia after more than 80 people were killed in the protests. He insists he’s still president.
Military personnel stand guard in the Crimean port city of Feodosiya March 2, 2014. Ukraine mobilised on Sunday for war and called up its reserves, after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to invade in the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the Cold War. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (UKRAINE - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CIVIL UNREST)
Ukraine’s acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, has ordered Ukraine’s armed forces to be at full readiness and stepped-up security at nuclear power plants, airports and other strategic infrastructure.
RELATED: U.S. HAS OPTIONS FOR RUSSIA’S DECLARATION OF WAR ON UKRAINE
People watch a Russian Navy ship enter the Crimean port city of Sevastopol Sunday.
On Sunday, the government called reservists into action but no overt military actions by Ukraine were seen.
Turchynov also appointed 18 new regional governors, including two oligarchs in the eastern cities of Dneprotrovsk and Donetsk, as big business and the new Ukrainian government banded together against Russia.
Russian Black Sea Navy Grisha V type corvette 'Suzdalets' (right) is seen off the coast of Sevastopol, Crimea, on Sunday.
Russian troops, meanwhile, pulled up to the Ukrainian military base at Perevalne on the Crimean Peninsula in a convoy Sunday that included at least 13 trucks and four armored vehicles with mounted machine guns. The trucks carried 30 soldiers each and had Russian license plates.
In response, a dozen Ukrainian soldiers, some with clips in their rifles, placed a tank at the base’s gate, leaving the two sides in a tense standoff. It appeared to be the first known case of outmatched Ukrainians standing up to Russian military might.
Activists of the Russian Bloc party block the entrance of the headquarters of the Ukrainian Navy in Sevastopol on Sunday.
RELATED: PUTIN GETS RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT'S OK AFTER ALREADY SENDING TROOPS TO UKRAINE
Later in the afternoon, civilians backing both Ukraine and Russia walked over to view the standoff at Perevalne, some shaking their heads in amazement in the geo-political developments right in their own town.
A woman lights a candle at a makeshift memorial in central Kiev on Sunday.
Unidentified soldiers were also seen cutting power to the headquarters of the Ukrainian Naval forces in Crimea — whose own commander defected later Sunday and pledged his allegiance to “the people of Crimea.”
A convoy of hundreds of Russian troops was also seen heading toward Simferopol, the regional capital of Crimea. Armed men in military uniforms without markings were seen in Simferopol’s central plaza, Lenin Square, outside its Council of Ministers building.
Pro-Russian militants station themselves behind a row of shields near a local government building and a statue of Lenin in Simferopol, Ukraine, on Sunday.
The Interfax news agency reported the speaker of Crimea’s legislature, Vladimir Konstantinov, as saying the local authorities did not recognize the government in Kiev. He said a planned referendum on March 30 would ask voters about the region’s future status.
RELATED: PRESIDENT OBAMA WARNS RUSSIA TO STAY OUT OF UKRAINE OR FACE 'COSTS'
VOLODYMYR PETROV/EPA
Ukrainians hold placards as they gather near the U.S. consulate in Kiev.
In Brussels, NATO’s secretary general said Russia had violated the U.N. charter with its military action in Ukraine, and he urged Moscow to “de-escalate the tensions.” NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen spoke before a meeting Sunday of the alliance’s political decision-making body to discuss the crisis.
Ukraine is not a NATO member, meaning the U.S. and Europe are not obligated to come to its defense.
But Ukraine has taken part in some alliance military exercises and contributed troops to its response force.
“It is very important that we all do everything we can to calm tensions.” said British Foreign Minister William Hague, who flew to Kiev on Sunday.” The Ukrainians have said to me in the last couple of days that they will not rise to provocations and, of course, I will strongly advise them to continue with that approach.”
He said he has urged Russian officials to “ speak directly to the Ukrainians” but so far they had not. President Barack Obama spoke with Putin by telephone for 90 minutes 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.”
In Moscow, at least 10,000 people bearing Russian flags marched freely through the city Sunday, while a few dozen demonstrating on Red Square against the invasion of Ukraine were quickly detained by Russian riot police.
“We understand that the West wants to attack us and seize this territory. It (the West) is dangerous to us,” said Victor Sidelin, a Moscow resident.
*** VIEW COMMENTS (31)
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/ukraine-new-pm-urges-putin-pull-back-military-article-1.1707914
Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog".
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc .
Kính chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị .
conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
03032014
___________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là đồng lõa với TỘI ÁC
No comments:
Post a Comment