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        Ukraine PM: 'Civilized World' Won't Recognize Crimea Referendum

   Ukraine`s prime minister is reinforcing the interim government`s
   rejection of Crimea`s moves to leave Ukraine, saying "no one in the
   civilized world" will recognize the results of the region`s referendum
   on joining Russia.
   At a news conference Friday, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said he
   wants to "warn separatists" and others he described as "traitors of the
   Ukrainian state" that any of their decisions are "unlawful" and
   "unconstitutional."
   The Moscow-backed Crimean parliament voted Thursday to join Russia,
   setting a referendum for March 16. The vote triggered a flurry of
   political reaction in Kyiv, European capitals and Washington, with U.S.
   and European leaders calling the referendum illegal.
   U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by phone Thursday with Russian
   President Vladimir Putin, but the two leaders found little common
   ground. The White House says President Obama told Mr. Putin the
   presence of Russian forces in Ukraine`s Crimean peninsula is a
   violation of Ukraine`s sovereignty. The Kremlin says Mr. Putin
   denounced Ukraine`s new Western-backed government as "illegitimate" and
   said Russia cannot "ignore" calls for help from Ukraine`s
   Russia-leaning east and south.
   Ukraine and Russia have been locked in a tense standoff since Russian
   forces entered Crimea nearly a week ago.
   The Ukrainian prime minister said Friday his government is "prepared to
   rebuild relations with Russia." But he said Russia must withdraw its
   troops, fulfill its agreements with Ukraine and stop supporting
   separatists in Crimea.
   The White House says President Obama, in his phone conversation with
   Mr. Putin, called for direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow that would
   be mediated by the international community. Mr. Obama called for all
   Russian forces to return to their bases and for international monitors
   to ensure the safety of Ukrainians, including ethnic Russians.
   Pro-Western Ukrainian opposition icon Yulia Tymoshenko urged Europe
   Thursday to take strong action to prevent Ukraine`s Crimean peninsula
   from joining Russia, saying such a move would destabilize the entire
   continent.
   Witnesses and Western analysts say thousands of Russian military
   personnel have crossed into Crimea since last week. The reports set off
   a groundswell of Western condemnation against President Putin, and
   warnings of stiff penalties if Moscow fails to withdraw.
   In Washington Thursday, President Obama authorized sanctions, including
   visa restrictions, against those found to have violated Ukraine`s
   territorial integrity. The EU also imposed measures against Russia,
   suspending talks on visas and a new economic agreement.
   On Capitol Hill, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to provide
   loan guarantees of $1 billion to Ukraine. That measure now goes to the
   U.S. Senate. The European Union is prepared to extend a $15 billion
   bailout to Kyiv if Ukraine can reach an agreement with the
   International Monetary Fund.
   Ukraine`s crisis began when protests erupted in late November after
   then-President Viktor Yanukovych rejected an economic deal with the EU
   in favor of closer ties with Russia. What began as peaceful protests
   quickly turned violent, leading to the deaths of more than 80
   protesters and charges that the Yanukovych government ordered snipers
   to shoot protesters. Mr. Yanukovych fled Ukraine last month.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/ukraine-pm-civilized-world-wont-recog
   nize-crimea-referendum/1866236.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/ukraine-pm-civilized-world-wont-recognize-crimea-referendum/1866236.html