US Warns Russia Against 'Grave Mistake' in Ukraine
The United States on Wednesday warned Russia against a military
intervention in Ukraine, saying such a move would be a "grave mistake,"
as troops in western Russia were placed on high alert for massive new
war games in the area, including near the Russian-Ukrainian border.
In delivering the blunt message, Secretary of State John Kerry also
announced that the Obama administration was planning $1 billion in loan
guarantees for Ukraine and would consider additional direct assistance
for the former Soviet republic following unrest that led to the ouster
of its Russian-backed president.
Kerry also renewed U.S. demands that Moscow withdraw troops from
disputed enclaves in another former Soviet republic, Georgia, and urged
Georgia to further integrate with Europe and NATO.
The warning, aid announcement and nudge westward for Georgia all came
amid growing tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine and were
likely to fuel already-heightened Russian suspicions over Western
intentions in its backyard.
Kerry insisted, however, that that U.S. policy toward Ukraine, Georgia
and the other states that once made up the Soviet Union was not aimed at
reducing Russia's influence in its neighborhood. Instead, he maintained
that U.S. encouragement for former Soviet states to integrate with the
West was driven by America's desire to see their people realize
aspirations for freedom in robust democracies with strong economies.
"This is not 'Rocky IV'," Kerry said, referring to the iconic 1985
Sylvester Stallone film in which an aging American boxer takes on a
daunting Soviet muscleman. "It is not a zero-sum game. We do not view it
through the lens of East-West, Russia-U.S. or anything else. We view it
as an example of people within a sovereign nation who are expressing
their desire to choose their future. And that's a very powerful force."
Noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered
large-scale military exercises in what many see as a show of force or
possible prelude to intervention in Ukraine, Kerry said it would be
hypocritical for Moscow to send troops into another country after
spending the last several years opposing foreign military action in
places like Libya and Syria.
"For a country that has spoken out so frequently in the last year ...
against foreign intervention in Libya, Syria, elsewhere, it would be
important for them to heed those warnings as they think about options in
the sovereign nation of Ukraine." Kerry said. "Any kind of military
intervention that would violate the sovereign territorial integrity of
Ukraine would be a huge, a grave mistake. And the territorial integrity
of Ukraine needs to be respected."
White House spokesman Josh Earnest urged "outside actors" to respect
Ukraine's sovereignty. Without specifically mentioning Russia, Earnest
also called on others in the region to end "provocative rhetoric and
actions."
On assistance, Kerry said it was "urgent to move forward" to help
Ukraine but also said it was urgent for Ukraine's interim authorities to
enact reforms, curb corruption, and prepare free and fair elections. He
said the planned $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees would be
accompanied by additional aid to be determined later in consultation
with Congress, as well as about $1.5 billion from the European Union,
along with loans from global financial institutions.
Kerry made the comments in a round-table interview with a small group of
reporters at the State Department where he presided over a meeting of
the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission earlier Wednesday.
At that meeting, he announced additional, but unspecified, U.S.
assistance "to help support Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic
vision." And he denounced Russia's continued military presence in the
breakaway Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in
violation of the cease-fire that ended the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict.
He stressed that the U.S. supports Georgia's membership in NATO —
something opposed by Russia — and wants to see it sign a partnership
agreement with the European Union later this year. A similar proposed
agreement between Ukraine and the E.U. was among the catalysts that led
to the deadly unrest in Kiev that unseated Russian-backed President
Viktor Yanukovych last week.
Some Russian officials accuse the West of being behind the revolt
against Yanukovych. U.S. and European officials have denied such
allegations.
In addition to Putin ordering the military exercises, Russia's defense
ministry said it would take steps to strengthen security at facilities
of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, where
there have been clashes between pro- and anti-Russian demonstrators.
Pro-Russian protesters have spoken of secession, and a Russian lawmaker
has stoked their passions by promising that Russia will protect them.
Those steps have raised fears of possible Russian military intervention
in Ukraine along the lines of its 2008 operation in Georgia, which led
to the occupations of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and was roundly
condemned by the United States and its European allies.
Kerry, sitting next to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili,
affirmed that the U.S. "remains steadfast in our support for Georgia's
sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"We continue to object to Russia's occupation, militarization and
borderization of Georgian territory, and we call on Russia to fulfil its
obligations under the 2008 cease-fire agreement, including the
withdrawal of forces and free access for humanitarian assistance," Kerry
said.
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AP National Security Writer Lara Jakes contributed to this report.
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