Friday, March 21, 2014

Putin On Crimea Incursion: I Have No Intention of Invading Other Regions of Ukraine

Josh Lederman
Associated Press
March 20, 2014

Russia's President Vladimir Putin addresses the Federation Council in Moscow's Kremlin on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. Putin defended Russia?s move to annex Crimea, saying that the rights of ethnic Russians have been abused by the Ukrainian government.  He pointed at the example of Kosovo?s independence bid supported by the West, and said that Crimea?s secession from Ukraine repeated Ukraine?s own secession from the Soviet Union in 1991. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)Issuing an outright warning to Moscow, Vice President Joe Biden declared Wednesday the United States will respond to any aggression against its NATO allies, as Russia’s neighbors looked warily to the escalating crisis in nearby Ukraine.

Standing side by side with a pair of Baltic leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania, Biden said the U.S. was “absolutely committed” to defending its allies, adding that President Barack Obama plans to seek concrete commitments from NATO members to ensure the alliance can safeguard its collective security.

In a jab at Russia, he said the U.S. stands resolutely with Baltic states in support of the Ukrainian people against Russian aggression.

Read more