Russia Denounces West’s Sanction Threats to Ukraine
Source: New York Times
By STEVEN LEE MYERS and STEPHEN CASTLEFEB. 20, 2014
MOSCOW — Russia on Thursday denounced moves by the United States and Europe to impose sanctions on Ukrainian officials after the eruption of violence in the capital, Kiev, and other cities, saying they amounted to blackmail against the government of President Viktor F. Yanukovych.
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, also criticized a visit by the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland, saying the European Union had sent its “latest uninvited mission” to Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, to impose a solution by forcing Mr. Yanukovych to compromise.
“How can you expect that your services will be in demand when the parallel threat of sanctions makes everything very similar to blackmail?” Mr. Lavrov said in remarks during a visit to Iraq, according to the Interfax news agency.
While Russia has long criticized American and European diplomacy in Ukraine, the tone of Russia’s complaints has escalated along with the violence there, for which officials in Moscow have consistently blamed radicals and extremists whom they have compared to the Nazis. The death toll from three days of violence climbed to about 50 on Thursday, including protesters and members of the security services. Hundreds more have been wounded, and there were indications that the country was splintering.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/world/europe/Ukraine-Crisis-Diplomacy.html?_r=0
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