ABOVE: (Mar. 21, 2014) As Vladimir Putin signs the law that completes the annexation of Crimea, Ukraine’s new government signed a trade deal with the European Union. Mike Armstrong has the details from Kyiv.
LATEST UPDATES:
- Harper imposes additional sanctions against Russian officials, bank
- Russia agrees to sending of international monitors to Ukraine
- Russian President Vladimir Putin signs bills completing annexation of Crimea
- Putin says no need for further retaliation against U.S.
- Stephen Harper becomes first G7 leader to visit Ukraine since Russia moved to annex Crimea
- No need for further retaliation against U.S.
- Ukraine signs deal to align itself with Europe
MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin has signed bills making Crimea part of Russia, completing the annexation from Ukraine.
Putin hailed the incorporation of Crimea into Russia as a “remarkable event” before he signed the bills into law in the Kremlin on Friday.
Russia rushed the annexation of the strategic Black Sea peninsula after Sunday’s hastily called referendum, in which its residents overwhelmingly backed breaking off from Ukraine and joining Russia. Ukraine and the West have rejected the vote, held two weeks after Russian troops had taken over Crimea.
The U.S. and the European Union have responded by slapping sanctions on Russia.
Putin: no need for further retaliation against U.S.
There is no need for Russia to further retaliate against U.S. sanctions, President Vladimir Putin said Friday as Russia’s upper house of parliament endorsed the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
Moscow made its first retaliatory shot on Thursday by banning nine U.S. officials and lawmakers from entering Russia, but Putin indicated that Russia would likely refrain from curtailing co-operation in areas such as Afghanistan.
MORE: Why Moldova, Estonia may feel uneasy about Russia’s actions
Moscow appears to hope to limit the damage from the latest U.S. and EU sanctions and avoid further Western blows.
Russia agrees to accept having international monitors sent to Ukraine
Russia has accepted sending an international monitoring team to Ukraine, following more than a week of stonewalling the push by all other members of the 57-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to send such a mission.
The OSCE said the 200-strong team will gather information and report on the security situation “throughout the country.” It didn’t specify whether that included Crimea, which Russia has annexed, but the agreement could signal a slight de-escalation of tensions.
PM Harper makes additional sanctions during historic stop in Ukraine
Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Ukraine Friday, to meet with that country’s prime minister and show support for Ukraine as it deals with a Russian incursion in the Crimean peninsula.
Harper imposed economic sanctions and travel bans Friday against 14 additional Russian officials and issued an economic sanction against Bank Rossiya, a financial institution that serves as the personal bank for senior officials of the Russian Federation.
Harper is the first leader of a G7 country to visit the eastern European nation since pro-Western demonstrators drove out its government last month.
Ukraine signs deal to align itself with Europe
Ukraine’s prime minister has pulled his nation closer into Europe’s orbit by signing a political association agreement with the EU at a summit of the bloc’s leaders.
Friday’s agreement between Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and the EU leaders was part of the pact that former President Viktor Yanukovych backed out of last November in favour of a $15 billion bailout from Russia.
That decision sparked the protests that ultimately led to his downfall and flight last month, setting off one of Europe’s worst political crises since the Cold War.
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