Sunday Times 2
Putin suggests to Obama ‘joint steps’ to calm Ukraine
View(s):MOSCOW, March 29 (AFP) -Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested to his US counterpart Barack Obama in a phone call between the two leaders that the international community could examine joint steps to calm the situation in Ukraine, the Kremlin said today.
Putin in the call also raised alarm over what he described as the “continued outbursts by extremists” in Kiev and also over the situation in the largely-Russian speaking rebel Moldovan region of Transdniestr.
The White House said earlier that Putin called Obama to discuss a US proposal on solving the crisis in Ukraine, after Russia seized the Black Sea region of Crimea and massed tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine’s eastern border.
“The Russian leader suggested examining possible steps of the international community to help stabilise the situation,” the Kremlin said, without specifying what these steps would entail.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Reuters)
“The concrete parameters of this joint work will be discussed” by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry soon, the statement added.
In the call, Putin also raised concern over the situation in Transdneistr, a sliver of Moldovan territory bordering Ukraine which broke away from control of the Moldovan government in the wake of the fall of the USSR.
Putin said there was a “de-facto external blockade of Transdniestr” which was hampering the lives of its inhabitants. The self-declared statelet is recognised by no government.
But Putin appeared to suggest that the Transdniestr issue should be solved not by force but by talks in the “5+2″ format of Moldova, Transdniestr, the OSCE, Russia, Ukraine plus the EU and the US as observers.
“It was emphasised that Russia is in favour of a fair and acceptable regulation of the Transdniestr problem and is interested in seeing the current 5+2 negotiating format work effectively.” Putin also told Obama that Russia was still alarmed over the situation in Ukraine after the fall of president Viktor Yanukovych.
“There are continued outbursts by extremists, unpunished acts of intimidation,” he was quoted as saying by the Kremlin.
The White House said Putin phoned Obama following a bid presented to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by US Secretary of State John Kerry earlier this week.
“President Obama suggested that Russia put a concrete response in writing,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
Obama and Putin had agreed that Kerry and Lavrov would meet to “discuss next steps.” The details of the US initiative were not disclosed, but a White House statement said Obama had reiterated his determination to seek a diplomatic solution.
“President Obama made clear that this remains possible only if Russia pulls back its troops and does not take any steps to further violate Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” it said.
A senior administration official later noted that previous discussions about a possible solution had addressed issues such as the deployment of international monitors, the pull back of Russian forces and direct a Russia-Ukraine dialogue.
Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea has redrawn the map of Europe and reopened the Cold War’s East-West split.
The diplomatic standoff has forced NATO to reinforce positions along Russia’s frontier in a bid to calm ex-Soviet satellite nations about the Kremlin’s expansionist mood.
Direct involvement
Putin confirmed for the first time Friday that his forces were directly involved in Crimea — the initial step of what the new pro-Western leaders in Kiev fear is a plan to annex an even greater part of Ukraine.
However, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Putin had assured him Russia was not planning further military action in the region.
Ban said Putin told him “he had no intention to make any military move.” He did, however, “express his concern about some extreme radical elements and any such movement along the border lines,” according to the UN chief.
Obama had told US broadcaster CBS earlier there was clear evidence of a Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border.
A top security official in Kiev this week estimated there were now 100,000 Russian soldiers positioned around Ukraine — a figure neither confirmed nor denied by Moscow.
Obama said the Russian military buildup “may simply be an effort to intimidate Ukraine or it may be that they have got additional plans.” Putin has taken quick steps to annex Crimea — a move declared illegitimate by a non-binding UN General Assembly referendum on Thursday that highlighted Russia’s growing isolation on the global stage.
The head of the FSB (ex-KGB) security service added to the nationalist fervour by reporting to Putin about his decision to fight back against “a growing foreign threat” to Russia by deploying “offensive counterintelligence and reconnaissance measures” against the West.