Putin takes Crimea and G8 drops Russia
19 March 2014 5:39 AM IST
In a fast-moving sequence of events following Crimea’s controversial secession referendum on Sunday, the Kremlin said Crimea was now considered part of Russia and no longer Ukrainian territory, shrugging off strong international objections.
‘In the hearts and minds of people, Crimea has always been and remains an inseparable part of Russia,’ Putin said in an emotional address broadcast on television.
The move, which came sooner than expected, risks plunging the west and Russia into a crisis not seen since the Cold War and sent shock waves through the new authorities in Ukraine who took over after the ousting of pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych last month.
Meanwhile, France’s foreign minister on Tuesday said that leaders of the Group of Eight world powers have suspended Russia’s participation in the club amid tensions over Ukraine and Russia’s incursion into Crimea. The other seven members of the group had already suspended preparations for a G8 summit that Russia is scheduled to host in June in Sochi.
France’s foreign minister Laurent Fabius went further on Tuesday, saying on Europe-1 radio that ‘concerning the G8 ... we decided to suspend Russia’s participation, and it is envisaged that all the other countries, the seven leading countries, will unite without Russia.’ Fabius did not give further details.
‘In the hearts and minds of people, Crimea has always been and remains an inseparable part of Russia,’ Putin said in an emotional address broadcast on television.
The move, which came sooner than expected, risks plunging the west and Russia into a crisis not seen since the Cold War and sent shock waves through the new authorities in Ukraine who took over after the ousting of pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych last month.
Meanwhile, France’s foreign minister on Tuesday said that leaders of the Group of Eight world powers have suspended Russia’s participation in the club amid tensions over Ukraine and Russia’s incursion into Crimea. The other seven members of the group had already suspended preparations for a G8 summit that Russia is scheduled to host in June in Sochi.
France’s foreign minister Laurent Fabius went further on Tuesday, saying on Europe-1 radio that ‘concerning the G8 ... we decided to suspend Russia’s participation, and it is envisaged that all the other countries, the seven leading countries, will unite without Russia.’ Fabius did not give further details.
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