Reports from Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, point to the presence of Russian troops in Crimea region of Ukraine. Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk is reported to have said, Russia has declared a war against Ukraine. The country's President Oleksandr Turchynov said any military intervention would lead to a war. Meanwhile, the authorities in Ukraine alerted its military units to make preparations on war footing and denied allegation by Russia that Russian- speaking people are being discriminated in Crimea region. This has been confirmed during 90-minute telephone discussion between President Barack Obama and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
In response to Obama, Putin said presence of Russian troops in Crimea, an autonomous region of Ukraine, is to protect Russian-speaking people and Russian troops there. Obama made it clear that Russia's continued violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would negatively impact its standing in the international community. Secretary of State John Kerry condemned what he called the Russian Federation's invasion and occupation of Ukraine territory despite a statement by Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev that no decision had been taken on whether Moscow would dispatch troops. The Secretary -General of NATO urged the Russian authority to maintain territorial integrity of Ukraine and support the rights of the Ukrainians to determine their future without outside interference. Republican lawmakers in the Congress have urged President Obama to take action to protect sovereignty of Ukraine. Senator John McCain described Obama as a naïve President that the US has ever seen.
A wave of condemnation is on the air which has been reflected in the decision of France, the UK and the US to boycott the preparatory meeting leading to G -8 Summit in Sochi in June. The EU is the largest trading partner of the Russian Federation while some European countries buy Russian oil and gas as well. If European countries boycott trade with Russia, there will be adverse impact on the economy of Russia.
Russian troops from Sevastopol base of Crimea region, which was leased out to Russia by Ukraine, are now surrounded in three military bases of Crimea region demanding surrender with arms and ammunition. Till writing this article they did not surrender. Under the agreement between Ukraine and Russia, Russian troops could not violate territory of Ukraine under any circumstances. Apart from violating agreement, Russia has also violated international law by infringing sovereignty of an independent state without provocation of any nature.
Following downfall of Pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych from power, Russia has refused to recognise the interim government in Kiev. It dismissed the government as 'Kalashnikov-toting people in black masks' and expressed concern for the safety of ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine and Crimea. The language appears to be the same that justified invasion of Georgia in 2008 by Russia. The deposed Ukraine President is now hiding in Russian territory seeking intervention by Putin.
Meanwhile, the UN Security council held closed-door session to consult on the basis of a request of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine. It appealed in a letter on March 01 to the Council President for an urgent meeting due to deterioration of the situation in Crimea which threatens territorial integrity of Ukraine. The Secretary General of the world body has sent Robert Serry to Kiev as his senior advisor to assure all citizens of Ukraine of the UN's full support and also convey that he expects all key international actors to work unitedly to help the country during crisis.
Instead of going for war, a compromise solution is required between interim leaders of Ukraine and Russia because the former is dependent on the latter for natural gas and oil that Ukrainians need to heat their homes. On the other hand, prolonged instability in Ukraine would also affect economy of Russia as the pipelines that carry Russian natural gas to European countries go through the Ukraine territory.
The writer is a retired diplomat from Bangladesh. amjad.21@gmail.com
