UKRAINE: Ukraine's cabinet meets to discuss Crimea as Russia tightens its grip on the Black Sea peninsula

Record ID: 872777

  • Title: UKRAINE: Ukraine's cabinet meets to discuss Crimea as Russia tightens its grip on the Black Sea peninsula
  • Date: 9th March 2014
  • Summary: KIEV, UKRAINE (MARCH 9, 2014) (REUTERS) GOVERNMENT BUILDING SIGN CABINET IN SESSION (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER, ARSENY YATSENIUK SAYING: "The situation in Ukraine is very complicated. This is why our task for today is very clear, and united work from our government, our forces and also other political and diplomatic consultations with other countries who have guaranteed Ukraine inviolable and guaranteed our security." CABINET MEMBERS LISTENING SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER, ARSENY YATSENIUK, SAYING: "We were doing actions which a neighbouring country didn't support and now all the world can see who is the aggressor. Does this aggression have any basis?" CABINET IN SESSION
  • Embargoed: 24th March 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Ukraine
  • City:
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Conflict,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAA1GX2RIDLC96VB3IKK0HKK17K
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Ukraine's cabinet met on Sunday (March 9) as Russian forces tightened their grip on Crimea despite a U.S. warning to Moscow that annexing the southern Ukrainian region would close the door to diplomacy in a tense East-West stand-off.
    Russian forces' seizure of the Black Sea peninsula has been bloodless but tensions are mounting following the decision by pro-Russian groups that have taken over the regional parliament to make Crimea part of Russia.
    The operation to seize Crimea began within days of Ukraine's pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovich's flight from the country last month. Yanukovich was toppled after three months of demonstrations against a decision to spurn a free trade deal with the European Union for closer ties with Russia.
    Russia's president Vladimir Putin has said that Ukraine's new leaders seized power in an unconstitutional armed coup and that Russia has the right to invade Ukraine to protect Russians living in the former Soviet republic.
    Addressing the cabinet, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said the situation in Ukraine was very complicated.

    "This is why our task for today is very clear, and united work from our government, our forces and also other political and diplomatic consultations with other countries who have guaranteed Ukraine inviolable and guaranteed our security," he said.

    "We were doing actions which a neighbouring country didn't support and now all the world can see who is the aggressor. Does this aggression have any basis?" he said, referring to Russia.
    Ukraine says its territory is inviolable, backed by the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, signed by Britain, United States, Russia and Ukraine which provided guarantees of Ukraine's sovereignty and integrity in exchange for a Ukrainian commitment, since fulfilled, to give up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons.
    Yatseniuk will visit Washington this week for talks, a White House official said.
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