Hague Presses Russia for 'De-Escalation' in Crimea as European Officials Voice their Concern
British Foreign Secretary William Hague has urged his Russian counterpart to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine's restive Crimea peninsula, ahead of a trip to Kiev on Sunday.
"Have spoken to Foreign Minister (Sergei) Lavrov to call for de-escalation in Crimea and respect for sovereignty and independence of Ukraine," Hague said in a Twitter message on Saturday.
The interim Ukrainian government accused Russia on Saturday of sending thousands of extra troops into Crimea in a bid to help local pro-Kremlin militia gain broader independence from the new pro-EU leaders in Kiev.
As the situation escalates, the Foreign Office confirmed Hague would visit Kiev on Sunday, although it did not give any further details.
Hague tweeted late Friday: "Have just spoken to Acting President (Oleksandr) Turchynov. I will travel to Kiev on Sunday for talks with the new government."
Turchynov had on Friday appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to "stop military provocation" and withdraw from Crimea, after pro-Russian gunmen seized the government and parliament buildings in the capital Simferopol.
A little earlier, British Prime Minister David Cameron had called Putin to stress the importance of respecting Ukraine's territorial integrity.
U.S. President Barack Obama has also said he is "deeply concerned" by reports of Russian troop movements in Ukraine, and warned there would be "costs" for any military intervention.
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the territorial integrity of Ukraine "must absolutely be respected", after Kiev accused Moscow of sending more than 6,000 soldiers to Crimea.
"There is a requirement that must absolutely be respected -- the territorial integrity of the country," Ayrault told reporters, speaking during a congress of European social-democrats in Rome.
"Everything must be done for this integrity to be totally respected.
"This requires a great sense of responsibility from all the players, above all from the political forces in Ukraine themselves but also from all of Ukraine's partners," Ayrault said.
"Ukrainians want democracy and we can understand that. They are turning to Europe, to European democracies. It is Ukrainians who must build their future," he said.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also said that France was "deeply concerned" over reports of significant troop movements in the flashpoint Black Sea peninsula.
"We call on the parties to abstain from actions that could raise tensions and harm Ukraine's territorial integrity," he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was concerned by the developments in Crimea.
"What is happening in Crimea worries us," Merkel said in a speech at a cultural event in Berlin, stressing the importance of "preserving the territorial integrity" of Ukraine.
Earlier, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski cut short a visit to Iran to handle the deepening crisis in Crimea.
"I have to shorten my visit to Iran due to the developments in Crimea and return to Poland," Sikorski told a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.
"The situation is getting more critical in Crimea."
Sikorski arrived in Iran on Friday for what had been scheduled as a four-day visit, including a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
As he spoke, the Polish foreign ministry put out a statement in Warsaw calling for an end to "provocative" troop movements in Crimea, a majority-Russian Ukrainian territory.
"We are the only country that has a consulate operating in Crimea and unfortunately they confirmed that Russian forces are present," Sikorski said.
"We have been closely following the developments there," he added.
Sikorski, along with his French and German counterparts has taken a prominent diplomatic role in the Ukrainian crisis.
Ex-communist Poland has also long been active in drawing ex-Soviet eastern neighbor Ukraine closer to the European Union and NATO, and so further out of the orbit of its Soviet-era master Russia.
Source: Agence France Presse
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