BabaRa
23rd February 2014, 22:06
Transitioning Ukraine caught in East-West tug of war
US warns Russia against intervention
Ukraine's new interim president pledged to put the country back on course for European integration now Moscow-backed Viktor Yanukovich had been ousted, while the United States warned Russia against sending in its forces.
As rival neighbors east and west of the former Soviet republic said a power vacuum in Kiev must not lead to the country breaking apart, acting president Oleksander Turchynov said on Sunday that Ukraine's new leadership wanted relations with Russia on a "new, equal and good-neighborly footing that recognizes and takes into account Ukraine's European choice."
A day after Yanukovich fled to an unknown location in the Russian-speaking east following dozens of deaths during street protests aimed at toppling him, parliament named new speaker Turchynov as interim head of state. An ally of the ousted leader's long jailed rival Yulia Tymoshenko, he aims to swear in a government by Tuesday that can provide authority until a presidential election on May 25.
With battle-hardened, pro-Western protesters in control of central Kiev and determined to hold their leaders to account, lawmakers rushed through decisions to cement their power, display their rejection of rampant corruption and bring to book officials who ordered police to fire on Independence Square.
But whoever takes charge as interim prime minister faces a huge challenge to satisfy popular expectations and will find an economy in deep crisis, even if the EU makes good on new offers of aid that may help make up for loans that Russia has frozen.
Scuffles in Russian-speaking Crimea and some eastern cities between supporters of the new, pro-EU order in Kiev and those anxious to stay close to Moscow revived fears of separatism that a week earlier were focused on the west, where Ukrainian nationalists had disowned Yanukovich and proclaimed self-rule.
Russian news agency Interfax reported Moscow had recalled its ambassador to Ukraine for consultation.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed on the need to resolve the situation without violence when they spoke by phone Saturday afternoon, the State Department said in a statement.
Kerry "expressed the importance of encouraging Ukraine to move forward on a path towards constitutional change, de-escalation, the creation of a coalition government, early elections and rejection of violence," the State Department said in a description of the call.
Kerry “also underscored the United States' expectation that Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and democratic freedom of choice will be respected by all states."
Al Jazeera and wire services
US warns Russia against intervention
Ukraine's new interim president pledged to put the country back on course for European integration now Moscow-backed Viktor Yanukovich had been ousted, while the United States warned Russia against sending in its forces.
As rival neighbors east and west of the former Soviet republic said a power vacuum in Kiev must not lead to the country breaking apart, acting president Oleksander Turchynov said on Sunday that Ukraine's new leadership wanted relations with Russia on a "new, equal and good-neighborly footing that recognizes and takes into account Ukraine's European choice."
A day after Yanukovich fled to an unknown location in the Russian-speaking east following dozens of deaths during street protests aimed at toppling him, parliament named new speaker Turchynov as interim head of state. An ally of the ousted leader's long jailed rival Yulia Tymoshenko, he aims to swear in a government by Tuesday that can provide authority until a presidential election on May 25.
With battle-hardened, pro-Western protesters in control of central Kiev and determined to hold their leaders to account, lawmakers rushed through decisions to cement their power, display their rejection of rampant corruption and bring to book officials who ordered police to fire on Independence Square.
But whoever takes charge as interim prime minister faces a huge challenge to satisfy popular expectations and will find an economy in deep crisis, even if the EU makes good on new offers of aid that may help make up for loans that Russia has frozen.
Scuffles in Russian-speaking Crimea and some eastern cities between supporters of the new, pro-EU order in Kiev and those anxious to stay close to Moscow revived fears of separatism that a week earlier were focused on the west, where Ukrainian nationalists had disowned Yanukovich and proclaimed self-rule.
Russian news agency Interfax reported Moscow had recalled its ambassador to Ukraine for consultation.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed on the need to resolve the situation without violence when they spoke by phone Saturday afternoon, the State Department said in a statement.
Kerry "expressed the importance of encouraging Ukraine to move forward on a path towards constitutional change, de-escalation, the creation of a coalition government, early elections and rejection of violence," the State Department said in a description of the call.
Kerry “also underscored the United States' expectation that Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and democratic freedom of choice will be respected by all states."
Al Jazeera and wire services