The United States on Tuesday accused Russia of acting on false pretences in Ukraine, while Moscow warned of consequences if Washington and the European Union impose sanctions.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Russia was engaging in “falsehoods, intimidation and provocation” in seizing Crimea, in order to “create a pretext for further invasion” in Ukraine.
Kerry spent a few hours on Tuesday in Kiev, including a stop on Institutska Street where he laid flowers and left a candle at a shrine for victims of government violence during deadly protests, which toppled the country’s pro-Moscow regime last month.
He then flew to Paris where he is expected to meet on Wednesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for the first time since the Ukrainian Parliament removed President Viktor Yanukovych and appointed a pro-Western interim government.
French President Francois Hollande late on Tuesday said that Russia was risking dangerous escalation, and that France and Europe have a duty to exert all necessary pressure – including sanctions – to find a political solution. Russia faces very important decisions for future relations with Europe, he said.
In Kiev, Kerry said that if Russia refuses to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis, the United States and its allies would have no choice but to “isolate Russia politically, diplomatically and economically.” Since last week’s Russian incursion into Crimea, the US has halted preparations for June’s G8 summit in Sochi, Russia, suspended military contacts with Moscow and direct economic dialogue.
Kerry spoke hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the US and EU of “consequences” if they impose sanctions. Putin stressed that the Kremlin reserved the right to use force in its Western neighbour.
Putin maintained that the democratically elected Yanukovych, who fled Kiev on February 22, is the only legitimate ruler of Ukraine.
About 150,000 Russian soldiers, as well as aircraft, tanks and ships, have been taking part in military drills in the Crimean peninsula and in western Russia.
In another show of force, Russia successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, news reports said on Tuesday. The US said it was notified of the test launch in advance, in accordance with the START treaty.
In Washington, President Barack Obama and Congress members raised the possibility of sanctions against Russia. The White House announced loan guarantees worth $1 billion to provide immediate technical expertise to Ukraine to repair its economy.
Obama later telephoned with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The two leaders “expressed their grave concern over Russia’s clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity and agreed on the importance of de-escalating the situation,” the White House said.
Merkel and Obama supported deploying international observers and human rights monitors, and endorsed direct talks between Russia and Ukraine.
NATO warned Russia that its actions in Ukraine would have “serious implications” for security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region.
“Despite repeated calls by the international community, Russia continues to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and continues to violate its international commitments,” Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in Brussels following NATO crisis talks.
In Vienna, at least 15 member countries of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) agreed to send military observers on Wednesday to Ukraine to find out more about the nature of Russia’s military activities, diplomats told dpa.
The US, Britain, France, Germany, the Czech Republic and Hungary are among the countries deploying two unarmed officers each until March 12, following Kiev’s call for such a mission and diplomatic efforts by Switzerland, which currently chairs the OSCE.
The observers were set to fly to the Black Sea port of Odessa, but it was unclear whether they will be able to visit the Crimean peninsula.
“That will depend on the Russians,” one diplomat said.
Robert Serry, the United Nations’ senior advisor on Ukraine, was in Crimea after being unable to visit the crisis region on Saturday, authorities said at UN headquarters in New York.
The European Commission is due to unveil a package of economic aid for Ukraine, which analysts have repeatedly said is on the brink of default.
The block will hold a summit on Thursday on the crisis, with the Brussels meeting due to be attended by Ukraine’s interim prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
Protests erupted in November in Kiev, after Yanukovych walked away from a trade agreement with the EU in favour of closer ties with Moscow.