RUSSIA: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon tells President Vladimir Putin he is "deeply concerned" over Russia and Ukraine

Record ID: 565137

  • Title: RUSSIA: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon tells President Vladimir Putin he is "deeply concerned" over Russia and Ukraine
  • Date: 20th March 2014
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (MARCH 20, 2014) (AGENCY POOL) U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN SHAKING HANDS PHOTOGRAPHERS BAN AND PUTIN SITTING DOWN (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING: "As a country who is one of the founder of the United Nations, Russia constantly and consistently supports the central role of the United Nations in global affairs." BAN DELEGATES AROUND TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL, BAN KI-MOON, SAYING: "As the Secretary General of the United Nations I can't hide but to tell you I am deeply concerned about the current situation involving Ukraine and also Russia. Russia is one of the most important leadership country in the United Nations and globally." BAN AND PUTIN AROUND TABLE KREMLIN TOWERS UNDER SNOW
  • Embargoed: 4th April 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9Q8IWCOS8RTPNWWY670LWI5GO
  • Story Text: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (March 20) he was "deeply concerned" by the crisis between Russia and Ukraine.
    Ban met Putin as Russia's lower house of parliament voted to approve a treaty the Russian leader signed on Tuesday (March 18) to absorb the Ukrainian region of Crimea into Russia, a move that has caused the biggest East-West confrontation since the Cold War.
    "I am deeply concerned about the current situation involving Ukraine and also Russia," Ban said after the two sat down for talks in the Kremlin.
    Ukraine and Western governments say Russia has illegally seized control of Crimea from Kiev. Russia denies this, saying Crimea voted for union with Russia in a referendum, although the West regards the referendum as illegitimate.
    Putin said Russia "constantly and consistently supports the central role of the United Nations in global affairs.
    He did not mention Ukraine in the portion of the meeting open to journalists.
    Ban met Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier on Thursday. He will travel to Kiev on Friday (March 21) on a trip the United Nations said was "part of (his) diplomatic efforts to encourage all parties to resolve the current crisis peacefully".
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