The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Obama warning to Putin
US PRESIDENT Barack Obama has warned Russia against further encroachment into Ukraine and said further moves would be a bad choice for Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Speaking at a news conference in the Netherlands amid a flurry of diplomatic activity in the Hague, Mr Obama said world leaders have created the framework for additional sanctions to be imposed on Russia if it moves further into Ukraine.
He said if Ukrainians had a choice they would seek to have a relationship with both Europe and Russia, adding it is not a zerosum game.
Mr Obama also said the US was not recognising Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
Earlier, he sought to turn up the heat on Moscow by meeting Kazakhstan’s president Nursultan Nazarbayev, a close ally of Mr Putin, at the US embassy in the Hague.
US officials offered no details about the meeting’s agenda, but Mr Nazarbayev is part of a Russia-centred economic bloc focused on Eurasia.
As the leaders wrapped up their meeting, the White House released a joint statement from Mr Obama and Mr Nazarbayev that did not address the Ukraine situation but focused instead on bilateral co-operation on nuclear security and non-proliferation.
Meanwhile, politicians in Ukraine accepted the resignation of defence minister IgorTenyukh as thousands of troops started withdrawing from the Crimean peninsula, now controlled by Russia.
In an address to parliament, Mr Tenyukh rejected criticism that he failed to issue clear instructions to troops — but he reserved the right to step down. Deputies initially refused his resignation but then accepted it. A majority in parliament later voted to appoint Colonel General Mikhail Kovalyov as Mr Tenyukh’s replacement.
The troop withdrawals came as Russia demanded more autonomy for Ukraine's regions, after Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov agreed to the highest level meeting yet between his government and a representative of the new Ukrainian government.