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Kerry, Merkel Warn Russia Of Tough Response Over Crimea

March 13, 2014
by RFE/RL

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have both warned Russia it would face a tough response over a breakaway vote in Ukraine's Crimea region.

Crimea is occupied by Russian forces and a referendum planned for March 16 could see the peninsula annexed by Russia. The United States and the EU have said the referendum is in breach of international law.

Kerry told a Senate Committee on March 13 that the United States and the EU would unveil 'a series of very serious steps' on March 17 should Russia accept and act on the widely expected vote in favor of joining Russia in the referendum.

Kerry said there was 'no justification, no legality' to the scheduled referendum in Crimea 'under the imprint of 20,000-plus [Russian] troops.'

Risk Of 'Massive' Damage

Merkel said Russia risks 'massive' political and economic damage. She told German lawmakers in Berlin on March 13 that Ukraine's territorial integrity is 'not up for discussion.'

'It is evident. The territorial integrity and therefore the state unity of Ukraine are openly being questioned and hurt,' Merkel said. 'During a period of great uncertainty in Ukraine, Russia has not acted as a partner for stability to its historical, cultural, and economically so closely linked neighbor, but it exploits its weakness.'

She said the EU is prepared to impose targeted sanctions on Russian and Ukrainian officials if Moscow refuses to begin 'negotiations that achieve results.'

'If Russia continues to further destabilize the situation in Ukraine, including the east of Ukraine where we see a worrying development, the EU leaders have agreed to take further action,' Merkel said.

'Measures could concern the economic cooperation with Russia in various aspects. To put it clearly: No one wishes to take those measures, but we would all be ready for it and determined should they become necessary.'

The latest warnings come as Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is due to address the UN Security Council about the crisis on March 13.

Yatsenyuk has warned that the Crimea crisis has implications beyond Ukraine, calling it a 'global problem.'

On March 12, Yatsenyuk received strong support from U.S. President Barack Obama during a visit to the White House.

WIth Yatsenyuk sitting alongside him in the Oval Office, Obama warned that Moscow would face unspecified 'costs' if President Vladimir Putin does not respect Ukraine's sovereignty.

'We have been very clear that we consider the Russian incursion into Crimea, outside of its bases, to be a violation of international law, of international agreements of which Russia is a signatory, and a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,' Obama said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he will travel to London to meet with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on March 14 in a last-ditch effort for a diplomatic solution.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, and UNIAN

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-merkel- warns-russia/25295667.html

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Kerry, Merkel Warn Russia Of Tough Response Over Crimea