Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin : " Any movements of Russian military within Crimea are in line with the existing arrangements with Ukraine." Also, the prime minister of Crimea appeals for assistance from Putin.

Interesting how  the  US is  up in  arms in defense of the  People of Ukraine?

Warning Russia  from  exercising it's right to defend it's territory and fleet  in accordance  with agreements  held  with  Ukraine  before  the  uprising.

Yet not a  word is  uttered in defense of  the  people  of  Bahrain who are   abused and  oppressed. 

So  it is  alright  to  look the other  way when  people  are  being  killed as  long as   your  Fifth Fleet is  not  threatened?

It's alright  to  condone the brutality these people are  being   subjected  to by a regime kept in place for the  strategic  services  it  renders?

But it is   not  alright  to  come  to the  aid  of Pro Russian and Russian Nationals in  Crimea  who have  requested  assistance?

And it is  not  acceptable  to  protect a military  asset when that  right has  been  previously  stipulated and agreed  upon  by the then  legitimate government of  Ukraine? 

A legal  contract according to Russia, leaving  in question  the fact that  there is  no permanent government in  the  Ukraine  as  of  yet.  Until said  time   do they  not have a  right  to  protect  their  interests? 

Given the  turmoil and  violent nature  of the  attacks  taking  place.  Not to  mention the lack of control the  interim  government  seems  to  have  over  the  people  storming government  buildings and  brandishing  weapons.  Actions which  are condemned  by the  people  of  Crimea as  has  been  reported  and  demonstrated  quite a  few times  since  the  upheaval began.

The  US does  whatever  it  deems  fit  to  protect  their assets  no matter  what. 

A  bit  hypocritical is it  not ?

~Desert Rose~

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Vitaly Churkin
Author  : The Presidential Press and Information Office
Wikipedia.org
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
Attribution: Kremlin.ru
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Russia interested in Ukraine stability, acts within existing agreements – UN envoy

Published time: February 28, 2014 22:45
Edited time: March 01, 2014 03:13

Russia is interested in the stability and prosperity of Ukraine more than anyone and is acting within existing agreements, Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said after a private meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the country.

Any movements of Russian military within Crimea are in line with the existing arrangements with Ukraine on the deployment of military assets in the former Soviet republic, Churkin added, addressing media speculation on military deployments.
“We have an arrangement with Ukraine about the stationing of the Russian Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol and we are acting within the framework of that agreement,” Churkin told reporters.
Earlier the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s press service dismissed reports that Russian troops were blocking an airport in Crimea. Media speculated heavily on the issue after Crimean self-defense squads in military uniforms raided the international airport in the republic’s capital, Simferopol on Friday night.

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Movement of Russian armored vehicles in Crimea fully complies with agreements - Foreign Ministry

Published time: February 28, 2014 13:28
Edited time: February 28, 2014 15:29

 

Russian military vessels are anchored at a navy base in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea, February 27, 2014 (Reuters)

The movements of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s armored vehicles in Ukraine’s Autonomous Republic of Crimea are in full compliance with Russian-Ukrainian agreements, Moscow has said.
Russia has passed a note regarding the maneuvers to a minister-counselor at Ukraine’s embassy in Moscow, Ruslan Nimchinsky, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday.
On Thursday, the Russian charge d'affaires in Kiev, Andrey Vorobyev, was summoned to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and handed two diplomatic notes - one on the latest events in Ukraine and one asking Russia’s Black Sea fleet units to abstain from movements outside their deployment sites.
“The Russian Foreign Ministry has passed an reply to the Ukrainian side on the movement of the Black Sea Fleet armored vehicles in Crimea, which is caused by the necessity to provide security for the Black Sea fleet’s naval deployment areas on Ukrainian territory, which happens in full accordance with basic Russian-Ukrainian agreements on the Black Sea Fleet,” a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website reads.

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• MySA

• 

Photo By Darko Vojinovic/AP

1 of 4

An unidentified armed man patrols in front of the airport in Simferopol, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. Russian troops took control of the two main airports in the strategic peninsula of Crimea, Ukraine's interior minister charged Friday, as the country asked the U.N. Security Council to intervene in the escalating conflict. Russian state media said Russian forces in Crimea denied involvement. No violence was reported at the civilian airport in Crimea's capital of Simferopol or at the military airport in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, also part of Crimea. At the Simferopol airport, a man claiming to speak for the camouflage-clad forces patrolling the airport described them as Crimean militiamen.

SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine (AP) — The pro-Russian prime minister of Ukraine's restive Crimea claimed control of all military, police and other security services in the region Saturday and appealed to Russia's president for help in keeping peace there.
In a statement reported by local and Russian news agencies, Sergei Aksenov declared that the armed forces, the police, the national security service and border guards will answer only to his orders. He said any commanders who don't agree should leave their posts.
As armed men described as Russian troops took control of key airports and a communications center in Crimea on Friday, Ukraine accused Russia of a "military invasion and occupation" — a claim that brought an alarming new dimension to the crisis, and raised fears that Moscow is moving to annex a strategic peninsula where Russia's Black Sea fleet is based.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk opened a cabinet meeting by calling on Russia not to provoke discord in Crimea.
"We call on the government and authorities of Russia to recall their forces, and to return them to their stations," Yatsenyuk was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. "Russian partners, stop provoking civil and military resistance in Ukraine

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Crimea: Where Ukraine could explode

By Frida Ghitis

updated 7:50 AM EST, Fri February 28, 2014

Armed men patrol outside the Simferopol International Airport in Ukraine's Crimea region on Friday, February 28. The gunmen, whom Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov called part of an "armed invasion" by Russian forces, appeared around the airport without identifying themselves. Crimea is an autonomous republic of Ukraine with an ethnic Russian majority. It's the last large bastion of opposition to Ukraine's new political leadership after President Viktor Yanukovych's ouster.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Frida Ghitis: Gunmen taking over buildings in Crimea a sign battle for Ukraine not over
• Ghitis: Crimea a flashpoint: If Russia launches military intervention, it will start there
• Ghitis: Ethnic Russians must be in Ukrainian government and be ensured equal status
• She says Crimea has political, cultural, geographic links to Russia and high strategic value

(CNN) -- On Friday, armed men in military fatigues marched into the principal airport in Simferopol, the capital of Ukraine's most contentious region, Crimea. The uniforms did not reveal their identity, but an alarmed Interior Minister in Ukraine's new government declared the move an "armed invasion" by Russia.

The incursion came 24 hours after masked gunmen took over government buildings there, raising the Russian flag over the regional parliament in a defiant sign that the battle for Ukraine is far from over.

In Kiev, the pro-European activists who succeeded in bringing an end to the Russian-backed government of now-former President Viktor Yanukovych are making progress choosing a new government with a well-qualified prime minister. But in the Crimea, on the Black Sea, tensions are building.

The situation is serious and the risks are enormous. Crimea is the flashpoint. If Ukraine unravels, it will begin there, in the small peninsula that has played an outsize role throughout history. If Russia decides to launch a military intervention, its justification and its target will be the Crimea.

For that reason, Ukraine's new government must skillfully pay attention to how it deals with the concerns of the Crimean people and the status of that part of the country. At the same time, the U.S. and Europe must play a useful and constructive role, making sure Moscow understands that this must -- and can -- be resolved without military intervention, and that Ukraine will not be dismembered.

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Armed men patrol at the airport in Simferopol, Crimea. Photograph: Viktor Drachev/AFP/Getty Images

Russian armoured vehicles on the move in Crimea

After airport seizures, world leaders urge Moscow to avoid action that may be seen as violation of Ukrainian sovereignty

• Ukraine live blog: latest developments

• Harriet Salem in Sevastopol, Shaun Walker in Kiev and agencies
• 
  
• theguardian.com, Friday 28 February 2014 13.48 EST

Link to video: Ukraine: armed men patrol Simferopol airport in Crimea With Russian armoured personnel carriers on the move in the Crimean peninsula, world leaders have sought assurances from the Kremlin that Moscow is not acting to escalate the violence in Ukraine.
A convoy of nine APCs painted with the Russian flag were seen on the road between the port city of Sevastopol and the regional capital of Sinferopol. Reporters spotted them parked on the side of a road near the town of Bakhchisarai, apparently stalled after one vehicle developed a mechanical fault.
The Russian foreign ministry said movements of vehicles belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet were prompted by the need to ensure the security of its base in Sevastopol. Russia is supposed to notify Ukraine of any troop movements outside the naval base. The Ukrainian defence ministry said it had no information about the vehicles' movements.
John Kerry, the US secretary of state, confirmed he had spoken to the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, on Friday, hours after unidentified soldiers seized two airports in the Ukrainian peninsula overnight.
Kerry said the US was watching to see if Russian activity "might be crossing a line in any way" and had urged the Kremlin against action that might be misinterpreted as a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty.
Military troops in unmarked uniforms resembling Russian uniforms took over two airports in Crimea, Simferopol airport and a military facility at Sevastopol, overnight, and there were reports on Friday evening that Simferopol airport was not allowing flights from Kiev.
After the airport seizures, Andriy Paruby, the newly appointed top Ukrainian security official, accused Russia of waging "a military invasion and occupation". "These are separatist groups … commanded by the Kremlin," Paruby said of the armed military men patrolling streets in the Crimean cities of Simferopol and Sevastapol.

Read More Here

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• Opinion: Where Ukraine may explode
• British officials tell citizens to leave Crimea
• Interim Govt Wants Russia Out of Crimea, Many Crimeans Want Out of Ukraine

Russia : It has been announced that Yanukovych would give a press conference on Friday. How did Yanukovych get to Russia?

The New Zealand Herald

Former Ukraine president turns up in Russia - in a 5-star hotel

10:31 AM Friday Feb 28, 2014

The Ukrainia hotel, where Viktor Yanukovych is said to be staying, is seen against the twilight Moscow sky. Photo / AP

Ukraine's fugitive president may be enjoying VIP treatment under Moscow's protection, said to have been spotted at an opulent five-star hotel and a Kremlin country retreat.

But beneath the surface, the embrace has been chilly: State-run TV has portrayed him as a coward who betrayed those who stood by him.

The conflicting messages indicate that while Russia still considers him the legitimate president of Ukraine, it is far from happy with his handling of Ukraine's crisis.

Yanukovych made his appeal for protection in a written statement released simultaneously by two Russian state news agencies: "I have to ask Russia to ensure my personal safety from extremists," he wrote. Shortly afterward, the same agencies quoted an unidentified government official as saying that the request had been "satisfied on the territory of Russia." The ITAR-Tass and RIA Novosti news agencies often are used by the government to issue official statements......
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How did Yanukovych get to Russia?
It is still far from clear. Ukraine issued an arrest warrant for him and border guards were instructed to stop him leaving. Most likely he was evacuated out of Kiev by helicopter at the weekend and taken to pro-Russia Crimea, where Russia has its Black Sea naval base in the city of Sevastopol. He could then have inconspicuously travelled by boat onto Russian territory proper.
"I think he came from Sevastopol on a vessel," said Konovalov.
From Russia's Black Sea coast he could have moved on anywhere in the country. Unconfirmed reports had sighted him at a Moscow hotel or an out-of-town health spa.
However Russian news agencies said late Thursday he will give a news conference Friday in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don which lies close to the Black Sea, making it unlikely that he has been to Moscow......

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Ousted Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych reported to be in Russia

Deposed president who still claims to be leader to hold press conference in southern city of Rostov on Friday

• Shaun Walker in Kiev
• 
  
• theguardian.com, Thursday 27 February 2014 09.04 EST

The Russian government sanatorium where ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych was reportedly staying on Wednesday night. Photograph: Yuri Kochetkov/EPA

Ukraine's ousted president, Viktor Yanukovych, has surfaced in Russia and is still claiming to be the legitimate ruler of his country, according to Russian media reports quoting top government sources.
"Given that President Yanukovych appealed to Russian authorities with a request to guarantee his personal safety, that request has been granted on Russian territory," a government source told Interfax.
An appeal to Ukrainian citizens from Yanukovych said: "My allies and I were being threatened with revenge and so I was forced to ask the Russian authorities to guarantee my personal safety from the actions of extremists."
Yanukovych said he continues to believe he is the legitimate president of Ukraine and wants to achieve a compromise that would enable Ukraine to exit the crisis. The deposed president called the current session of Ukraine's parliament – which among other things is electing a new government – "illegitimate".
"There is an orgy of extremism on the streets of many cities," wrote the president. "I am certain that in these conditions all the decisions taken [by the parliament] will be ineffective and not carried out.
"In this situation, I officially declare that I am determined to fight to the end for the implementation of important compromise agreements that will bring Ukraine out of the deep political crisis."
On Thursday evening it was announced that Yanukovych would give a press conference on Friday afternoon in the southern Russian city of Rostov on Don – contradicting earlier claims that he was in the Moscow region staying at a top government sanatorium that has previously hosted officials such as Leonid Brezhnev and Boris Yeltsin. No other details about the press conference were immediately available.

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NBC News

Ousted Viktor Yanukovych: I'm Ukraine's 'Legitimate Leader'

By Alexander Smith and Maria Stromova

MOSCOW - Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych still sees himself as his country's legitimate head of state, according to a statement by him published by Russian news agencies on Thursday.

Yanukovych fled his residence near the Kiev on Saturday after months of deadly protests and a deal with his opposition giving many of his powers over to parliament.

NBC News was unable to confirm a report by Russian news organization RBK that Yanukovych had been spotted in Moscow. But in his statement published by Interfax and Itar Tass, the Kremlin-backed former leader said he has asked for protection from Russia "to ensure my personal security from extremists' actions."

Interfax quoted a source as saying Russia had granted this appeal. NBC News could not immediately verify that claim.

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Ukraine tensions mount in pro-Russian Crimea

CBC News World

Parliament votes to put fugitive president Yanukovych before International Criminal Court

Thomson Reuters Posted: Feb 25, 2014 2:33 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 25, 2014 5:02 PM ET

A Russian armoured personnel carrier is driven on a street in Sevastopol, Ukraine's Black Sea Port that hosts a major Russian navy base. Ethnic Russians in the region are deeply suspicious of the new Ukrainian authorities who replaced fugitive Russia-backed President Viktor Yanukovych. (Andrew Lubimov/Associated Press)

Dozens of pro-Russian protesters rallied Tuesday in the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea against "the bandits" in Kyiv who are trying to form a new government — with some even speaking of secession. A lawmaker from Russia stoked their passions further by promising them that Russia will protect them.
As a Russian flag flew Tuesday in front of the city council building in Sevastopol — a key Crimean port where Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based — an armoured Russian personnel carrier and two trucks full of troops made a rare appearance on the streets of the city.
The Crimean Peninsula — a pro-Russian region about the size of Massachusetts or Belgium — is a tinder pot in the making.

• Can Russia keeps its hands off Ukraine?
• Replay Ukraine chat with Susan Ormiston and protester Yulia Marushevska
• Live blog: Ukraine's deadly crisis

Protesters had torn down the Ukrainian flag a day ago, pleading with Moscow to protect them from the new authorities in Ukraine who have forced President Viktor Yanukovych to flee Kyiv, the capital, and go into hiding.
"Bandits have come to power," said Vyacheslav Tokarev, a 39-year-old construction worker in Sevastopol. "I'm ready to take arms to fight the fascists who have seized power in Kyiv."

A portrait of Ukraine's ousted president Viktor Yanukovych, used for a game of darts, is displayed at Kyiv's Maidan. (Marko Drobnjakovic/Associated Press)

Earlier on Tuesday the country's parliament voted to send Yanukovych to be tried for "serious crimes" by the International Criminal Court once he has been captured.
A resolution, overwhelmingly supported by the assembly, linked Yanukovych, who was ousted on Saturday and is on the run, to police violence against protesters which had caused the deaths of more than 100 citizens from Ukraine and other states and injured 2,000.
The resolution said two of Yanukovych's close allies — former interior minister Vitaly Zakharchenko and former prosecutor-general Viktor Pshonka who are also being sought by the authorities — should also be sent for trial at the ICC, which is based in The Hague.
Over the three months of street unrest and anti-government protests, it said, authorities under Yanukovych had systematically abused their power.
Methods of torture, used by police against protesters, included holding activists naked in temperatures of 15 degrees below freezing, it said.

Wanted for 'mass murder'

"Parliament asks the International Criminal Court to hold Viktor Yanukovych and other high-level people criminally responsible for "issuing and carrying out openly criminal orders," it said.

'If you consider Kalashnikov-toting people in black masks who are roaming Kyiv to be the government, then it will be hard for us to work with that government'- Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev

Oleh Myrny, a deputy of the nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party, said: "If we don't take this decision, we will not move forward."
A spokesman for the court said on Tuesday it had not received a request from the Ukrainian government to investigate the events leading up to Yanukovych ouster.
"A government can make a declaration accepting the court's jurisdiction for past events," said court spokesman Fadi El Abdallah, adding that it would then be up to the court's prosecutor to decide whether to open an investigation.


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The Vancouver Sun

Rally in pro-Russian region of Crimea decries the 'bandits' in Kyiv forming new government

John Lenczuk, red scarf, holds a sign with pictures of some of those who died at Euromaidan. Lenczuk's son, Dimitri Lenczuk, mustache, stands to his left holding a similar sign (not shown). Ukrainian-Americans rallied at the Consulate General of Ukraine in New York City on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014. Ukrainians were there to ask for continuing support from the U.S. as well as to remember the ones who died at Euromaidan and celebrate their victory in ousting Viktor Yanukovych from office over the weekend.(AP Photo/Northjersey.com, Kevin R. Wexler)

By Yuras Karmanau, The Associated Press February 25, 2014 2:00 PM

SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine - Dozens of pro-Russian protesters rallied Tuesday in the Crimean Peninsula against "the bandits" in Kyiv who are trying to form a new government, with some even speaking of secession, and a Russian lawmaker stoked their passions by promising that Moscow will protect them.
"Russia, save us!" some chanted.
An armoured personnel carrier and two trucks full of Russian troops made a rare appearance on the streets of the port city where the Kremlin's Black Sea Fleet is based. A Russian flag fluttered in front of the city council building, replacing the Ukrainian flag that demonstrators had torn down a day earlier.
The protesters pleaded with Moscow to protect them from the new authorities who forced President Viktor Yanukovych to flee the capital and go into hiding.
"Bandits have come to power," said Vyacheslav Tokarev, a 39-year-old construction worker. "I'm ready to take arms to fight the fascists who have seized power in Kyiv."
Yanukovych was reportedly last seen in the Crimea, a staunchly pro-Russian region the size of Massachusetts. Law enforcement agencies have issued an arrest warrant for him over the killing of 82 people, mainly protesters, last week in the bloodiest violence in Ukraine's post-Soviet history.
His former chief of staff, Andriy Klyuyev, was wounded by gunfire Monday and hospitalized, spokesman Artem Petrenko told The Associated Press. It wasn't clear where in Ukraine the shooting took place.
The protesters gathered for a third day in front of administrative buildings in Sevastopol and in other Crimean cities in the pro-Moscow region in the southern Ukraine. Protests on Sunday numbered in the thousands.
"We won't allow them to wipe their feet on us," said Anatoly Mareta, wearing the colours of the Russian flag on his arm. "Only Russia will be able to protect the Crimea."
"I hope for the Ossetian way," he added — a reference to the brief but fierce 2008 war in which Russian tanks and troops helped Georgia's separatist provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia to break free. Russia has recognized both as independence states, but few other nations have.
Russia, which has thousands of Black Sea Fleet seamen at its base, so far has refrained from any sharp moves in Ukraine's political turmoil, but could be drawn into the fray if there are confrontations between the population in Crimea and the supporters of the new authorities.
The open movement of Russian military vehicles — normally avoided in Sevastopol at Ukraine's request — was seen as a reflection of the tensions in the city.
A senior Russian lawmaker promised protesters that his government will protect its Russian-speaking compatriots in the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine that tilt heavily toward Moscow.
"If lives and health of our compatriots are in danger, we won't stay aside," Leonid Slutsky told activists in Simferopol, the regional capital of Crimea.
Slutsky, who heads a parliamentary committee in charge of relations with other ex-Soviet republics, also promised that the Russian parliament is considering a bill to offer Crimea residents and others in Ukraine a quick way of getting Russian citizenship.

He also declared that Yanukovych remains the only legitimate leader of Ukraine, adding there is a "big question mark" over the legitimacy of the decisions made by the Ukrainian parliament since he left the seat of power.


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Related articles

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Ukraine: Russia Angry as Another Soviet Hero Statue Toppled. Meanwhile....Movements of Russian troops have been reported across the Crimean peninsula, but Russia says it won't intervene in Ukraine

Ukraine: Russia Angry as Another Soviet Hero Statue Toppled

• By Dominic Gover , February 25, 2014 18:57 PM GMT

Russia angry as statue of Mikhail Kutuzov is taken down during revolution in UkraineYouTube

Russian national pride has taken another blow after Ukrainians got in the revolutionary spirit by getting rid of a bust of a famous Russian military commander.
Residents in the western region of Lvov removed a large bust of field marshall Mikhail Kutuzov from its plinth.
This act of revolutionary defiance by citizens of the city of Brody went down badly among Russians on Twitter, who branded the act an "outrage." Their anger has been stoked by a spate of topplings of statues of Lenin across Ukraine.
Following the ousting from power of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovich, citizens have brought down symbols of the country's past relationship with Russia.
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Ukraine Crisis: Russian Troops Moving across Crimea

• By Umberto Bacchi , February 25, 2014 19:06 PM GMT

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Movements of Russian troops have been reported across the Crimean peninsula in southern Ukraine as fears spread that the Kremlin might launch a military operation, which could lead to a breakup of its southern neighbour.
Russian armoured personnel carriers were briefly stationed in central Nakhimov Square in Sevastopol on the Crimean coast before heading to the Moscow House building, Interfax news agency reported.
"There have been movements of certain vehicles as part of anti-terrorist measures to protect the Russian facilities," a source close to senior officials in Russia's Black Sea Fleet told local newspaper ForPost.
A video uploaded on YouTube purportedly showed Russian army trucks carrying military personnel driving into the city of Yalta.
Earlier, it was reported that the large landing ship Nikolai Filchenkov and several other military vessels were heading to Sevastopol, where Russia has a large naval base of some 25,000 troops.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov repeated claims that Moscow was against interfering in Ukrainian affairs. Its "policy of non-intervention" would continue, he said.
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Russia says it won't intervene in Ukraine

 February 25, 2014 03:14 PMBy Maria Antonova




Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovich at the Kremlin in Moscow, December 17, 2013. REUTERS/Alexander Nemenov/Pool

MOSCOW: Moscow pledged Tuesday it would not intervene in the crisis in neighbouring Ukraine but said the country should not be forced to choose between Russia and the West.
"We confirmed our principled position of non-intervention in Ukraine's internal affairs and expect that everyone follows similar logic," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"We are interested in Ukraine being part of the European family, in all senses of the word," he said after talks with Luxembourg counterpart Jean Asselborn.
But he added: "We agree that... it is dangerous and counterproductive to force Ukraine into a choice -- either you are with us or against us."
His remarks signalled a possible softening of Moscow's stance after harsh statements both by Lavrov's own ministry and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday.
Medvedev had accused Ukraine's new leadership of waging an "armed mutiny" and said there was noone for Moscow to communicate with in Kiev.
President Vladimir Putin has remained silent on the regime change in the former Soviet republic and the situation in Ukraine was not mentioned when Russian state channels interviewed him in Sochi on Tuesday.
Asselborn struck a conciliatory tone, saying it was necessary to maintain historic ties between Russia and Ukraine.
He also said Ukraine's stability could only be a product of a broad dialogue that must include Russia, both on political reforms and financial aid.

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