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Putin warns of 'consequences' after Ukraine's military action Putin warns of 'consequences' after Ukraine's military action
(about 3 hours later)
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, warned of "consequences" on Thursday as Ukraine's government launched assaults on rebel-held eastern towns, in which up to five people were reported killed. International tension over Ukraine ratcheted up sharply on Thursday as Vladimir Putin warned of unspecified "consequences" in retaliation for a security crackdown against pro-Russian separatists in which as many as five militiamen were reportedly killed.
The offensive sent international tensions soaring and oil prices up, raising the prospect of Russia deploying troops stationed on the ex-Soviet republic's borders. In return, Barack Obama threatened imminent new economic sanctions against Russia.
In Slavyansk, a flashpoint east Ukrainian town held by rebels since mid-April, a Ukrainian military detachment with five armoured personnel carriers took over a checkpoint on a road north of the city after it was abandoned by separatists who set tyres alight to cover their retreat. As limited hopes of a peace deal struck last week in Geneva dwindled fast, diplomats responded to violent clashes in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slavyansk with a fresh war of words that hinted instead at the risk of further escalation.
No shots were heard during that takeover but the Ukrainian interior ministry said its forces and troops had killed "up to five terrorists" while destroying three militant checkpoints northeast of the centre. "If our interests, our legitimate interests, the interests of Russians have been attacked directly, like they were in South Ossetia, I do not see any other way but to respond in full accordance with international law," said the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, referring to the 2008 war that led to the breaking away of the Georgian republic of South Ossetia.
A separatist spokeswoman in Slavyansk said two fighters were killed in clashes. His apparent threat was followed by the announcement of new Russian military exercises along the Ukrainian border and echoed by Putin, who described Ukraine's moves to oust pro-Russian supporters from government buildings as a "punitive operation" and threatened Kiev with unspecified consequences.
Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian special forces took back control of the town hall in the southeastern port city of Mariupol with no casualties, the interior minister, Arsen Avakov, said. Separatist sources confirmed the loss of the building in the port city, whose population is 500,000. "If the Kiev government is using the army against its own people this is clearly a grave crime," said the Russian president.
An army base in the eastern town of Artemivsk overnight also repelled an attack by heavily armed rebels using machine-guns and grenades, the interior and defence ministries said. One soldier was wounded. Meanwhile, western leaders made clear they were "teeing up" further economic sanctions on Russia for failing to implement the Geneva deal and not doing more to encourage its supporters in Ukraine to give up their weapons.
As the offensive at Slavyansk was confirmed, Putin said it would be a serious crime for Ukraine to use its army in the east. "If Kiev has really begun to use the army against the country's population ... that is a very serious crime against its own people," he said, calling Kiev's authorities a "junta". "There's always the possibility that Russia tomorrow or the next day takes a different course," Obama said during a joint news conference in Tokyo with the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe.
He warned of "consequences, including for our intergovernmental relations". "Do I think they're going to do that? So far the evidence doesn't make me hopeful."
Russia, which has an estimated 40,000 troops massed on Ukraine's border, has already threatened to respond like it did when it invaded Georgia in 2008 if it sees its interests in Ukraine attacked. "I understand that additional sanctions may not change Mr Putin's calculus," added the US president. "How well they change his calculus in part depends on not only us applying sanctions but also the cooperation of other countries."
But it was unclear if Ukrainian troops were preparing to risk storming Slavyansk, a city of 130,000 that has become the military stronghold of a movement seeking annexation by Moscow of the Russian-speaking, industrial regions of eastern Ukraine. The troops could be planning to impose a cordon around the city to disrupt militants' contacts with the rest of the region and to promote surrender negotiations that have been begun by European OSCE monitors following an international accord signed by Russia and Ukraine's western allies a week ago in Geneva. The French president, François Hollande, announced a new plan to reduce European dependence on Russian gas imports during a visit to Poland – a factor that has constrained the western response so far.
Later reports suggested Ukrainian troops had pulled back from some of the captured checkpoints. In a joint statement with the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, Hollande said that the purpose was to make "Europe more independent, more coherent, more co-operative in its energy policy".
For the past few weeks, the Kiev government has held back from combat with the rebels, saying it was concerned about civilian casualties – and about provoking reprisals from Russia. Tusk also raised the possibility of the EU buying liquefied gas from the US or from Australia, saying steps in these directions should be made as soon as possible.
The Geneva agreement, signed by Russia, the United States, Ukraine and the European Union, was in trouble as Kiev launched its offensive Putin admitted that existing western financial measures were making an impact on his economy but insisted they would not force a change in Russian policy.
East and west have put the onus on each other to ensure the accord is implemented on the ground. The US president, Barack Obama, said earlier on Thursday that he was poised to impose new sanctions on Moscow if it did not act fast to end the armed stand-off. "Overall they are causing [damage], because [credit] ratings are being reviewed, loans could become more expensive and so forth. But this is of no critical character," he said on Thursday.
Putin also condemned the use of sanctions as an instrument of policy, saying they damaged all concerned.
"Overall they are harmful for everyone, they destroy the global economy [and] are dishonourable on the part of those who use those types of tools," he said.
Events on the ground in eastern Ukraine remained fluid after "anti-terrorist operations" that killed several pro-Russian supporters.
Ukrainian army forces have set up a small checkpoint 13km (8 miles) south of Slavyansk and about a dozen troops in two troop carriers were checking cars for weapons and explosives. Others were fortifying positions along the road with sandbags.
There were no signs of conflict and the scene was almost idyllic, with stray dogs lazing in the sun and a local women selling fresh milk to the troops. The outpost commander, who declined to give his name or rank, said his orders were to not let any weapons in or out of the city and he didn't know what fighting might be going on there.
His troops would shoot only if fired upon first, he said. If they encountered the kind of angry civilians who turned back Ukrainian tanks in recent encounters in the area, he said he would speak with them.
"It's a crime to shoot at civilians, we protect the people." But he added that his troops would not be turned back. "I won't run … the soldiers are ready to be loyal to their oath."