Obama threatens Russia with new sanctions

US President Barack Obama threatened Russia on Friday with new sanctions over its actions in Ukraine as the Ukrainian Prime Minister also came out with tough words against Moscow. Russian attempts to start conflict in Ukraine will lead to military conflict in Europe, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk warned. He also charged Russia with aiming to occupy his country “militarily and politically,” and said Moscow wants to start a third world war. His strong statement came amid a sharp escalation in tensions. Russia’s defense chief ordered new military drills Thursday near the border with eastern Ukraine after Ukrainian forces said they killed five pro-Russian militants in an operation to clear roadblocks near the city of Slavyansk. Serhiy Pashinskiy, chief of staff to acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov, said Friday that the operation had now entered its “second stage,” aimed at encircling Slavyansk and cutting off additional supplies or support. Yatsenyuk said he’d asked Russia to explain the presence of its troops on Ukraine’s border within 48 hours — but 24 hours later, Kiev is still waiting for an official response. At the same time, he said, the world is lined up with Kiev in its efforts to restore stability and preserve “the system of world security that Russia wants to destroy.” On Friday, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry reported that 13 people on board a bus — including foreign observers and military officials — were detained at the entrance of Slavyansk. The ministry said the captors were unknown, but that the detainees were taken to a security office that is under the control of pro-Russian separatists. The detainees are seven European representatives from the Organization for Security and Co-operation, five Ukrainian military representatives, and a bus driver, the ministry said. Negotiations were ongoing to secure their release, the ministry reported, according to AP.