G7 vow 'swift' sanctions on Russia over Ukraine aggression

 
Tensions: Armed pro-Russian protestors stand guard near a checkpoint not far from an occupied security service building in Slaviansk, Ukraine
Standard Reporter26 April 2014

The United States and other nations in the Group of Seven have agreed to "move swiftly" - as early as Monday - to impose additional economic sanctions on Russia for its actions in Ukraine.

In a joint statement released by the White House today, the G7 nations said they would act urgently to intensify "targeted sanctions" and also continue to prepare broader sanctions on key Russian economic sectors if Moscow took more aggressive action.

The White House said US sanctions could be levied as early as Monday.

The G7 nations said they were moving forward on the targeted sanctions now because of the urgency of securing plans for Ukraine to hold presidential elections next month.

The statement came after US defence officials said Russian fighter jets flew into Ukrainian airspace several times over the last 24 hours.

The officials said the intent was not clear, but the aircraft could have been testing Ukrainian radar or making a show of force.

Pentagon spokesman Col Steve Warren said the US was calling on the Russians "to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation".

The flights followed increased Russian military exercises along the Ukraine border, including moving a broad array of fixed wing and rotary aircraft, infantry and armoured troops. The exercises inflame worries about a potential Russian military incursion into Ukraine.

The West has threatened additional sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean region in March and the escalation of military operations along the border.

General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke to his Russian counterpart, General Valery Gerasimov, on Thursday, to express "grave concern" over Russia's aggressive military behaviour, the Pentagon said.

"The two military leaders agreed on the need to reduce tension, avoid miscalculation and keep an open line of communication," it said.

Col Warren said US officials have let Russian defence ministry officials know that defence secretary Chuck Hagel would like to speak to his counterpart, defence minister Sergei Shoigu.

It is the second set of military exercises conducted by the Russians along the border region. The latest exercises were quickly condemned by Mr Hagel, who called them "dangerously destabilising" and "very provocative".

If such activities escalate, they will make it more difficult to find a diplomatic solution to the situation in Ukraine, he said.

Meanwhile, as top Ukrainians spoke of imminent invasion and the West threatened the Kremlin with more sanctions, Moscow said pro-Russian separatists would not lay down their arms in eastern Ukraine until activists relinquished control over key sites in Kiev.

The tough talk came as tensions heightened on the ground with the Russian fighter jets issue and a team of unarmed foreign military observers detained by pro-Russian forces in Slovyansk, the heart of the separatist movement in the east.

With last week's Geneva agreement calling on all illegal armed groups to lay down their weapons and hand over occupied cities and facilities in tatters, both sides exchanged threats and warnings.

Accusing the West of plotting to control Ukraine, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov declared that pro-Russia insurgents in the country's east would only disarm and leave the territory they had occupied if the Ukrainian government cleared out a protest camp in Kiev's Independence Square, known as the Maidan, and evicted activists from other occupied buildings.

"The West wants - and this is how it all began - to seize control of Ukraine because of their own political ambitions, not in the interests of the Ukrainian people," Mr Lavrov said.

Pro-Russia insurgents will disarm and vacate buildings "only if Kiev authorities get down to implementing the Geneva accords, clear out that shameful Maidan and liberate the buildings that have been illegally seized," the foreign minister said.

Ukraine's reaction was swift. "The world has not yet forgotten World War Two, but Russia is already keen on starting World War Three," acting prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told his cabinet.

Yulia Torhovets, a spokeswoman for the Kiev city government, said activists had promised to leave Kiev's occupied city hall by the end of the week.

At the United Nations, Ukraine's deputy foreign minister Danylo Lubkivsky said he feared an imminent Russian invasion.

"We have the information we are in danger," he told reporters, saying Russian military manoeuvres involving air and ground forces along the Ukraine border were a "very dangerous development".

"We are going to protect our motherland against any invasion. We call on the Russians to stop this madness."

In another worrying development, a group of foreign military observers traveling under the auspices of the Organisation of Security and Co-operation in Europe were detained by pro-Russia separatists in Slovyansk.

The German-led team was accused of possessing "suspicious materials", said Stella Khorosheva, a spokeswoman for the town's self-proclaimed separatist mayor. She said they were unharmed and would be released after further investigation.

As the US and its European allies were poised to impose new sanctions on Russia's struggling economy, ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut its credit rating to near junk, saying tensions over Ukraine were causing investors to pull money out of the country.

Moscow upped its interest rates to keep its sliding ruble from fuelling inflation.

The soaring prosperity that has been a cornerstone of President Vladimir Putin's popularity hadalready been heading for a slowdown before the Ukraine crisis hit, as Russian oil and gas exports slowed and the country's reliance on extractive industries remained high.

Additional reporting by the Press Association

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