Source: Press TV
Russia and the United States remain on a collision course over the
restive Ukrainian region with Washington calling on Moscow to pull its troops
in Crimea back to their bases.
US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed
the escalating crisis on telephone for 90 minutes on Saturday.
According to a statement issued by the White House, Obama expressed
"his deep concern over Russia's clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty
and territorial integrity" and called on Putin to order withdrawal of
Russian forces from Crimea back to their bases.
The US president also threatened that Moscow’s refusal would “impact
Russia’s standing in the international community.”
Obama warned that Moscow’s action in the Black Sea region could lead to more
political and economic isolation for Russia.
Putin, however, said that his country reserves the right to protect Russian
interests and ethnic Russians in Ukraine.
“In the case of any further spread of violence to Eastern Ukraine and Crimea,”
a statement issued by Putin’s office said, “Russia retains the right to protect
its interests and the Russian-speaking population of those areas.”
Earlier on Saturday, the Russian parliament approved Putin’s request to
deploy troops into Crimea.
Putin said that the mission is necessary to protect ethnic Russians and the
military base in Crimea known as the Black Sea Fleet.
The Russian president has yet to decide on the troop deployment, but reports
emerging from the region show two Russian anti-submarine warships have appeared
off the Ukraine coast.
Meanwhile, US Senator Bob Corker called for immediate sanctions against
Russia for any potential military intervention in Ukraine.
"Vladimir Putin is seizing a neighboring territory — again — so
President Obama must lead a meaningful, unified response," Corker said in
a statement.
The Ukrainian army was put on a combat alert as the country’s acting
President Oleksandr Turchynov said on Saturday that any Russia’s military
intervention will lead to a war in the crisis-hit country.
Ukraine’s Donetsk calls for referendum, votes to restore Russian’s official status
Source: Russia Today
The City Council in the eastern city of Donetsk has refused to recognize
Ukraine’s self-imposed government and called for a referendum on the region’s
status. The council has made Russian alongside Ukrainian the official language
in the region.
“Until all the legitimacy of the new laws approved by Verkhovna Rada
[Ukrainian Parliament] is clarified, the City Council [of Donetsk] will take
full responsibility for its territories,” said the
document approved by Donetsk City Council during the special session of March,
1. The report comes from Ukraine-based Zerkalo Nedeli newspaper.
Donetsk is the capital of the coal-rich Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.
Beside Donetsk, a major economic, industrial and scientific center, Donbass
includes Lughansk and Dnepropetrovsk regions.
The Council called for a referendum on Donbass’s future, urging the local
parliament to set the date immediately. The move is set to “protect the
citizens from possible violent actions on the behalf of radicalized
nationalistic forces,” the council said in a statement.
In addition, the members of the city council have voted to set up
self-defense squads.
Russian language has been re-introduced as an official language along with
Ukrainian in the area where a plurality of its residents are ethnic Russians
(48.15%) and Russian-speaking Ukrainians (46.65%). This decision came after the
new power in Kiev abolished the minority languages law.
Also, the Donetsk authorities said they consider Russia a strategic
partner.
The council’s session was called as pro-Russian activists gathered in the
center of Donetsk, demanding local authorities to hold a referendum on the
future of the region. The protesters seized the regional administration
building and hoisted the Russian flag above it.
Eastern Ukraine and Crimea are seeing massive pro-Russian demonstrations
against the new self-proclaimed central government, with many government
buildings being topped with Russian flags.
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