US Secretary of State John Kerry is in London holding talks on Ukraine with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
Mr Kerry was expected to warn Mr Lavrov that the disputed referendum being held in Crimea in two days and Russia's military intervention there could trigger concerted US and EU sanctions.
He has warned of "very serious steps" if Russia annexes the region.
Russia insisted at the UN Security Council on Thursday that it did "not want war" with Ukraine.
During an emergency meeting of the Council, Moscow's ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin defended the right of Crimea, which is predominantly ethnic Russian, to decide whether or not to join the Russian Federation.
Russia's military intervention followed the fall of Ukraine's pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych on 22 February.
The Kerry-Lavrov talks and Crimean referendum dominate the media, with Ukrainian commentators gloomy while Russian papers scent victory.
Leonid Kravchuk, Ukraine's first president, calls on the country to "immediately launch a bid to join Nato" and seek international peacekeepers, according to Den daily.
Pundit Stepan Havrysh writes in Hazeta that the referendum "will be rigged", as the "illegal Crimean authorities have simply decided to join Russia".
In Russia, Nezavisimaya Gazeta sees nothing to discuss. "Even the hottest heads in Washington now admit that the Crimea question is completely settled, a fait accompli".
Moskovsky Komsomolets tabloid draws historical parallels. "Serious people are trying to scare us by asking 'Do you realize how much it will cost to annex Crimea?' Well, how much did it cost Britain to send its navy to war with Argentina for the completely useless Falklands?"
Pro-government Izvestia sees the start of a "new ideology of reclaiming Russian lands", for which President Putin will be "forgiven everything and anything".
Russian historian Dmitry Shusharin is not so sure. "Crimea is a modern-day Pearl Harbour," he writes in the Ukrainian daily Den.
Mr Kerry had talks with UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague before his meeting with the Russian foreign minister at the US ambassador's residence in central London.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Hague said the US and Russian foreign ministers would find it hard to make progress.
"The fact that so far Russia hasn't taken any actual action to de-escalate tensions makes this a formidably difficult task today," he said.
Ahead of the talks, Mr Lavrov acknowledged the crisis was a "difficult situation" to be in. "Many events have happened and a lot of time has been lost," he told reporters.
Before his arrival in London, Mr Kerry urged movement on the Crimea referendum issue.
"If there is no sign of any capacity to be able to move forward and resolve this issue, there will be a very serious series of steps on Monday in Europe and here [in Washington] with respect to the options that are available to us."
Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday that it reserved the right to protect "the lives of compatriots and fellow citizens in Ukraine".
The Kiev authorities, it said, were not "in control of the situation in the country", referring to fierce clashes between hundreds of pro-Russia protesters and Kiev supporters in the eastern city of Donetsk on Thursday that left one man dead and several others injured.
Russia also called on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to send observers to monitor the Crimea vote.
The Russian foreign ministry said the logistics of the mission should be in agreement with "the leadership of Ukraine's regions where (the mission) is expected to be deployed".
SanctionsMr Kerry has also said the US is not eager to impose further sanctions on Russia.
"Our choice is not to be put in the position of having to do that. Our choice is to have a respect for the sovereignty and independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine," he said.
He has hinted at a possible compromise which would see the Ukrainian parliament allowing Crimea to hold a referendum on self-determination - similar to Scotland's forthcoming vote in September on whether to bring an end to its 300-year old union with England.
"The constitution of Ukraine requires that any effort by any entity within Ukraine to secede be done through the constitutional process," Mr Kerry said.
But correspondents say that the signs are not good for Friday's talks, as both men have clashed in recent weeks and failed to agree on a number of US proposals.
Russia has refused to recognise the interim leadership that took over in Kiev with Mr Yanukovych's departure or to participate in a contact group aimed at bringing the two countries together for talks.
'Legal vacuum'Speaking at the UN on Thursday, Moscow's ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said the referendum in Crimea had come about because of a "legal vacuum" in the country and questioned why Crimeans should not be "afforded the opportunity" to decide on their future.
Ukraine's interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk had told the UN Security Council that his country was a victim of Russian aggression, producing a copy of the UN Charter to make his point that Moscow was violating it and several other international treaties.
The BBC's Nick Bryant, in New York, says the US is circulating a resolution stating that Sunday's referendum in Crimea has no validity.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
Russia's ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin (R) responds to Ukraine's PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk in New York
He says it knows that Russia will exercise its veto, but hopes that China will not block it, thus underscoring Russia's diplomatic isolation.
In other developments, Russia launched new military exercises near its border with Ukraine on Thursday involving more than 8,000 troops and large artillery units such as rocket launchers and anti-tank weapons.
Meanwhile, Russian media on Friday reported that Russian fighter jets and helicopters had started training flights over the Mediterranean Sea.
A spokesman for the Russian navy told Interfax news agency - quoted by Reuters - that the Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, was involved in the training exercises.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
US-Russia in Ukraine crisis talks
Dengan url
http://cangkirtehhangat.blogspot.com/2014/03/us-russia-in-ukraine-crisis-talks.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
US-Russia in Ukraine crisis talks
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
US-Russia in Ukraine crisis talks
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar