Sunday Times 2
New Russia sanctions threats as Ukraine stalemate goes on
View(s):DONETSK, Ukraine, April 19 (AFP) -Russia said its military is massed on Ukraine’s doorstep and warned against further US sanctions as a deal struck with Washington appeared to stall because of intransigence by Moscow-backed rebels in the former Soviet republic.
A threat by US President Barack Obama that more sanctions would befall Moscow if the agreement, reached Thursday with Ukraine and the EU, failed was “absolutely unacceptable,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian television.
The head of the pro-Russian separatists government Denis Pushilin speaks during a news conference in the regional government building in eastern Ukraine. Armed pro-Russian separatists said they were not bound by an international deal ordering them to disarm and would not move out of public buildings they have seized until the Kiev government stepped down (REUTERS)
“Our Western colleagues are trying to push responsibility towards our side. But it must be underlined: it is a collective responsibility,” he said.
The comments appeared to be a warning shot to Washington that the situation could quickly degrade if Moscow were punished for a failed implementation of the accord.
The White House said it was watching Moscow to see if it is holding up its end of the deal.
In a phone call on Friday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the following days would be “pivotal”, a senior State Department official said.
The top US diplomat stressed that “all illegal armed groups must be disarmed and all illegally seized buildings must be returned to legitimate owners,” according to the official.
But on the ground in Ukraine’s restive east, there were signs the pact was coming unstuck hours after the four parties signed off on it.Pro-Russian rebels were refusing to cede control of a string of towns they seized over the past two weeks.
But, says Moscow, neither are pro-Western protesters in Kiev budging from the iconic Maidan square they continue to occupy even after ousting former president Viktor Yanukovych two months ago.
If the hard-won agreement collapses — as Western and Ukrainian leaders fear it might — the United States has said it will quickly ramp up sanctions on Russia, which it holds responsible for supporting the separatists and stoking the crisis.