SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
US/Russia Diplomatic Talks on Ukraine Fall Flat as Referendum Vote Looms
Kerry threatens "consequences if Russia does not find a way to change course."
Mar 14, 2014
Unsuccessful talks between Russia and the U.S., increased Russian troop presence, and a pending referendum vote bring continued uncertainties and tensions as the crisis in Ukraine continues to unfold.
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a nearly six-hour meeting in London, which was said to come to no diplomatic resolution.
Lavrov said the talks were "useful" yet brought about "no common vision" between the two countries.
Kerry told reporters that "there will be consequences if Russia does not find a way to change course."
The Guardian reported that the meeting's failure brought the crisis to "a new and more dangerous phase" and "sets Russia on a collision course with the west."
Kerry said that "the foreign minister made it clear that President Putin is not prepared to make any decision regarding Ukraine until after the referendum on Sunday." In that referendum, CNN reported,
residents of the Crimean Peninsula will vote whether to secede from Ukraine and join Russia or to choose effective independence.
Kerry said, "Neither we nor the international community will recognize the results of this referendum."
"We believe the referendum is contrary to the constitution of Ukraine, contrary to international law, is in violation of that law, and is illegitimate." he said. Lavrov, meanwhile, told reporters, "We will respect the will of people of Crimea that will be expressed at the referendum on the 16th of March."
Kerry has warned that if the vote takes place, Russia faces EU and U.S. sanctions.
"I assure you that our partners understand that sanctions are counterproductive ... and (they) will not facilitate mutual interests," Lavrov said.
Russia was increasing its troop presence, "mass[ing] troops and armored vehicles in at least three regions along Ukraine's eastern border on Thursday, alarming the interim Ukraine government about a possible invasion and significantly escalating tensions in the crisis between the Kremlin and the West," the New York Times reported.
Reporting by Reuters adds:
A Russian warship unloaded trucks, troops and at least one armoured personnel carrier at a bay near Sevastopol in Crimea on Friday morning, as Moscow continued to build up its forces on the Ukrainian peninsula. [...]
Ukrainian officials and analysts estimate that some 20,000 Russian troops are in Crimea, of whom fewer than 12,000 are attached to the Black Sea Fleet, with the remainder comprising infantry and paratroopers brought from Russia. Under the terms of the lease for the fleet, Moscow can station up to 25,000 troops in Sevastopol, but not on other Ukrainian territory.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday, "We have obviously not gotten to a situation where Russia has chosen to de-escalate, where Russia has chosen a path of resolving the situation peacefully and through diplomacy. That is regrettable. We will have to see how the next several days unfold."
___________________
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Unsuccessful talks between Russia and the U.S., increased Russian troop presence, and a pending referendum vote bring continued uncertainties and tensions as the crisis in Ukraine continues to unfold.
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a nearly six-hour meeting in London, which was said to come to no diplomatic resolution.
Lavrov said the talks were "useful" yet brought about "no common vision" between the two countries.
Kerry told reporters that "there will be consequences if Russia does not find a way to change course."
The Guardian reported that the meeting's failure brought the crisis to "a new and more dangerous phase" and "sets Russia on a collision course with the west."
Kerry said that "the foreign minister made it clear that President Putin is not prepared to make any decision regarding Ukraine until after the referendum on Sunday." In that referendum, CNN reported,
residents of the Crimean Peninsula will vote whether to secede from Ukraine and join Russia or to choose effective independence.
Kerry said, "Neither we nor the international community will recognize the results of this referendum."
"We believe the referendum is contrary to the constitution of Ukraine, contrary to international law, is in violation of that law, and is illegitimate." he said. Lavrov, meanwhile, told reporters, "We will respect the will of people of Crimea that will be expressed at the referendum on the 16th of March."
Kerry has warned that if the vote takes place, Russia faces EU and U.S. sanctions.
"I assure you that our partners understand that sanctions are counterproductive ... and (they) will not facilitate mutual interests," Lavrov said.
Russia was increasing its troop presence, "mass[ing] troops and armored vehicles in at least three regions along Ukraine's eastern border on Thursday, alarming the interim Ukraine government about a possible invasion and significantly escalating tensions in the crisis between the Kremlin and the West," the New York Times reported.
Reporting by Reuters adds:
A Russian warship unloaded trucks, troops and at least one armoured personnel carrier at a bay near Sevastopol in Crimea on Friday morning, as Moscow continued to build up its forces on the Ukrainian peninsula. [...]
Ukrainian officials and analysts estimate that some 20,000 Russian troops are in Crimea, of whom fewer than 12,000 are attached to the Black Sea Fleet, with the remainder comprising infantry and paratroopers brought from Russia. Under the terms of the lease for the fleet, Moscow can station up to 25,000 troops in Sevastopol, but not on other Ukrainian territory.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday, "We have obviously not gotten to a situation where Russia has chosen to de-escalate, where Russia has chosen a path of resolving the situation peacefully and through diplomacy. That is regrettable. We will have to see how the next several days unfold."
___________________
Unsuccessful talks between Russia and the U.S., increased Russian troop presence, and a pending referendum vote bring continued uncertainties and tensions as the crisis in Ukraine continues to unfold.
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a nearly six-hour meeting in London, which was said to come to no diplomatic resolution.
Lavrov said the talks were "useful" yet brought about "no common vision" between the two countries.
Kerry told reporters that "there will be consequences if Russia does not find a way to change course."
The Guardian reported that the meeting's failure brought the crisis to "a new and more dangerous phase" and "sets Russia on a collision course with the west."
Kerry said that "the foreign minister made it clear that President Putin is not prepared to make any decision regarding Ukraine until after the referendum on Sunday." In that referendum, CNN reported,
residents of the Crimean Peninsula will vote whether to secede from Ukraine and join Russia or to choose effective independence.
Kerry said, "Neither we nor the international community will recognize the results of this referendum."
"We believe the referendum is contrary to the constitution of Ukraine, contrary to international law, is in violation of that law, and is illegitimate." he said. Lavrov, meanwhile, told reporters, "We will respect the will of people of Crimea that will be expressed at the referendum on the 16th of March."
Kerry has warned that if the vote takes place, Russia faces EU and U.S. sanctions.
"I assure you that our partners understand that sanctions are counterproductive ... and (they) will not facilitate mutual interests," Lavrov said.
Russia was increasing its troop presence, "mass[ing] troops and armored vehicles in at least three regions along Ukraine's eastern border on Thursday, alarming the interim Ukraine government about a possible invasion and significantly escalating tensions in the crisis between the Kremlin and the West," the New York Times reported.
Reporting by Reuters adds:
A Russian warship unloaded trucks, troops and at least one armoured personnel carrier at a bay near Sevastopol in Crimea on Friday morning, as Moscow continued to build up its forces on the Ukrainian peninsula. [...]
Ukrainian officials and analysts estimate that some 20,000 Russian troops are in Crimea, of whom fewer than 12,000 are attached to the Black Sea Fleet, with the remainder comprising infantry and paratroopers brought from Russia. Under the terms of the lease for the fleet, Moscow can station up to 25,000 troops in Sevastopol, but not on other Ukrainian territory.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday, "We have obviously not gotten to a situation where Russia has chosen to de-escalate, where Russia has chosen a path of resolving the situation peacefully and through diplomacy. That is regrettable. We will have to see how the next several days unfold."
___________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.