Russian troops to remain "until situation normalizes"

Russian troops to remain "until situation normalizes"

Russian forces are in Ukraine "to protect the citizens living there," and will remain until the political situation in that country normalizes, Russian FM Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said on Tuesday that "the Russian aggression" would unite the Ukrainian people, who, she said, were "ready to defend the country," but called on Ukrainians "to use calm as their main weapon in the battle in which they are not alone and in which they must prevail."

Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers gathered in Brussels on Monday for an emergency meeting to formulate a joint response to the Ukrainian crisis, but even before the the meeting took place it became clear that there were deep divisions within the EU when it came to the approach to Russia.

While some believe that Russia should not only be warned to immediately stop its military operations in Crimea, but also threatened with sanctions, others are of the opinion that a solution should be sought in the renewal of dialogue with Moscow.

Russian gas giant Gazprom announced that it does not exclude the possibility of a disruption in gas supplies to Europe because of the political situation in Ukraine, but announced that it will continue to invest in export-oriented activities, such the South Stream pipeline, the Russian media reported.

The Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, on Monday asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw the country's ambassador to the United States.

At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the threats uttered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry were "unacceptable."

In a statement issued on Monday, Kerry was accused of using Cold War rhetoric when he suggested punishment "not for those who carried out the coup (in Kiev), but for the Russian Federation."

"Russia is interested in a stable and strong Ukraine, that would defend the legal rights and interests of Ukrainians, and all our compatriots. We are in favor of a swift return to normal based on the February 21 agreement, that includes setting up a legitimate government of national unity," the MFA statement said.

Kerry was quoted as saying earlier in the day that "all options were on the table," and that the U.S. could introduce economic sanctions against Russia - which he said had carried out "a military aggression," and would therefore "be punished" unless it withdrew.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that he would tell Russia's Sergei Lavrov that his country should refrain from any acts and rhetoric that could lead to further escalation of the crisis in Ukraine and to instead turn to a constructive dialogue with the authorities in Kiev .

Russian warplanes during the night twice violated the airspace of Ukraine, announced the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, while at the same time border patrols of this country said that Russian troops and military aircraft "today began arriving to Crimea."