Russia refusing crisis talks: Ukraine president

Russia’s leaders are refusing all negotiations with their Ukrainian counterparts, Ukraine’s acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has said. Turchynov said that Ukraine would not intervene militarily in Crimea, even though a secession referendum there was a “sham”. Meanwhile interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is travelling to the USA to meet President Barack Obama. On Thursday he is due to address the UN Security Council in New York.
"A provocation"
"We cannot launch a military operation in Crimea, as we would expose the eastern border [close to Russia] and Ukraine would not be protected,” Turchynov said. He said that Sunday's referendum in Crimea – in which people on the peninsula will decide whether or not to become part of Russia – was “a provocation” that would be boycotted by most people. “The Russian forces don’t intend to hold a referendum, they’re just going to falsify the results,” he said. The president said that at the same time the Russian government was refusing to enter into any dialogue with Ukraine. “Unfortunately, for now Russia is rejecting a diplomatic solution to the conflict,” he added, according to AFP.