Obama: Russia must pull back troops from Ukraine border Latest Analysis Economic woes Timeline Russian troops in Crimea (27 March) Thousands of Russian troops are already based in Crimea which has been annexed by Moscow Continue reading the main story Ukraine crisis Which Russian areas might be next? Ukraines troubled economy Crisis sharpens Latvia tensions Wests guessing game US President Barack Obama has urged Russia to move back its troops on Ukraines border and lower tensions. Russia is believed to have massed a force of several thousand troops close to Ukraines eastern frontier. Mr Obama told CBS News it may be an effort to intimidate Ukraine, or it may be that [Russia has] additional plans. Meanwhile, a Russian security official has said intelligence measures are being stepped up to counter Western threats to Moscows influence. There has been a sharp increase in external threats to the state. The lawful desire of the peoples of Crimea and eastern Ukrainian regions is causing hysteria in the United States and its allies, Federal Security Service (FSB) deputy head Alexander Malevany was quoted as saying by Interfax. He said Moscow was taking offensive intelligence measures to counter Western efforts to weaken Russian influence in a region that is of vital importance. Ukrainian troops near to the border with Russia - 20 March 2014 Ukraine has deployed troops near the border with Russia amid fears of an invasion Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the organisation was extremely worried about a huge military build-up on Ukraines borders. He said Nato had plans in place to ensure effective defence and protection for all its members, including the three Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Mr Obama, in his interview recorded before he left Europe on Thursday, said President Vladimir Putin had been willing to show a deeply-held grievance about what he considers to be the loss of the Soviet Union. But he warned that the Russian leader should not revert back to the kinds of practices that were so prevalent during the Cold War. Putin misreading US I think theres a strong sense of Russian nationalism and a sense that somehow the West has taken advantage of Russia in the past, Mr Obama said. What I have repeatedly said is that he may be entirely misreading the West. Hes certainly misreading American foreign policy. Mr Obama said the US has no interest in circling Russia and no interest in Ukraine beyond letting Ukrainian people make their own decisions about their own lives. Steve Rosenberg ponders Russias next move following the annexation of Crimea Earlier, ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia last month, called for a national referendum to determine each regions status within Ukraine. He was replaced after massive demonstrations and clashes between protesters and police in which more than 100 people died. The Kremlin says the new government in Kiev came to power illegally. Ukraines former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has announced that she will run for president in Mays elections, said on Friday that she was sure Mr Yanukovych would stand trial one day for calling for the country to be broken up. If these really are his words, then this once again proves that the person who was once the president of Ukraine has effectively turned into a tool used for Ukraines destruction, Ms Tymoshenko told reporters. Ukraine is not a member of Nato and would not be covered by the collective defence agreement in the Nato treaty. The organisation has already announced enhanced air policing over the three Baltic states - the only countries formerly part of the Soviet Union which are now Nato members. Map of Crimea
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 15:50:08 +0000
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