Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photograph courtesy of the Kremlin
Russian president Vladimir Putin has defended Russia’s actions in Crimea, describing the military intervention as a “legitimate” action, as tensions remains high in Ukraine.
However, the EU has threatened to impose additional sanctions on Russian businesses and individuals close to Putin if Russia does not begin to de-escalate the situation, following the recent sanctions they imposed on 18 UKrainians including former president Viktor Yanukovych.
Ukraine has also sent a request to Interpol to issue an international arrest warrant for Yanukovych, although the agency has not yet determined whether it will comply with the request.
Russia has called these threats “extremely unconstructive”, and said that they may retaliate with their own sanctions. Pro-Russian armed men have also stopped observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) from trying to enter Crimea at the northern town of Armyansk.
Meanwhile, Kiev has called the proposed referendum in Crimea “illegitimate” and said that the result “will not be recognised”. In an interview with CNBC, Ukraine’s interim prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said:
“There will be no referendum. It is absolutely and entirely illegitimate. No one will recognise this, possibly except North Korea, probably Syria or Venezuela and I want to be very clear. Crimea, was, is and will be an integral part of Ukraine. No concession. Full stop.”
Russia, however, maintains that Crimean MPs have the right to hold such a ballot, with the chairman of Russia’s federal council, Valentina Matviyenko, telling the RIA Novosti news agency:
Yesterday we learned about the historic decision taken by the Crimean parliament to hold a referendum on accession, on entry into the Russian Federation. Without a doubt, the Crimean parliament, as a legitimate authority, has that right … [It is] the sovereign right of the people to determine their future.
Putin also appears to still have a friend in embattled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who reportedly wrote to him and described the military action as “wise” for maintaining “security and stability”.
