Ukraine crisis: Britain pulls out of G8 preparatory talks
(about 1 hour later)
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague is due to visit Kiev amid growing tensions after the Russian parliament approved the deployment of troops to Ukraine.
Britain has pulled out of preparatory talks for the G8 summit due to be held in Sochi, because of Russia's continuing build-up of military forces in Ukraine's Crimea region.
Mr Hague said he was "deeply concerned" and would "reiterate support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine".
The decision was announced as Foreign Secretary William Hague flew to Kiev for talks with Ukraine's new leaders.
Mr Hague summoned Russian ambassador Alexander Yakovenko to the Foreign Office (FCO) to hear the UK's reaction.
Acting president Olexander Turchynov has ordered a full mobilisation of Ukrainian military forces.
Prime Minister David Cameron has said there can be "no excuse" for outside military intervention in Ukraine.
Mr Hague has said he will reiterate UK support for Ukraine's sovereignty.
Former Conservative foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said the situation was the "most serious crisis since the end of the Cold War" and called on Russian president Vladimir Putin to take the right action.
In Brussels, Nato has been holding emergency talks about the Russian military action.
He added: "This needs to be a defining moment and Putin needs to understand this... in the West's relationship with Russia."
Just before the meeting, Nato secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia's troop deployments in Ukraine violated the principles of the United Nations charter and threatened peace and security in Europe.
Mr Yakovenko was met by political director Simon Gass at the FCO on Saturday evening.
"Russia must stop its military activities and its threats," he said.
Mr Gass "expressed deep concern at the Russian Parliament's decision to authorise military action in Ukraine against the wishes of the Ukrainian government", said the FCO in a statement.
The Ukrainian government has said it will seek the help of US and UK leaders to guarantee its security.
Former British Ambassador to Moscow Sir Tony Brenton, who served as British Ambassador from 2004 to 2008, told the BBC that Mr Hague must "damp down" the heightening tensions between the two countries.
The interim prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said Russia's military moves amounted to a "declaration of war".
He said: "He [Vladimir Putin] has just seen his man, in effect, [Viktor] Yanukovych, overthrown by what he sees as a Western instigated revolt. He [Putin] is determined to maintain Russian influence in Ukraine as a whole, and he has now taken Crimea... hostage.
On Saturday, US President Barack Obama held a 90-minute telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him to pull his forces back to bases in Crimea.
"William Hague's job in Kiev today is to begin to damp down the dangers of things getting worse. There are two real problems, first of all Ukraine may overreact to the Russian occupation of Crimea and we could get into a shooting engagements, which would be deeply disastrous, and certainly wouldn't get the Russians out.
Mr Putin says Russia reserves the right to protect its interests and those of Russian speakers in Ukraine.
"And secondly other bits of eastern Ukraine are showing signs of unrest, the Ukraine government in Kiev needs to reassure those part of the country about their attention to the rights of the Russian minority there."
The Foreign Office says Mr Hague will make clear the UK's support for Ukraine's new government, which was formed after the ousting of former president Viktor Yanukovych in a popular uprising last month.
Labour leader Ed Miliband agreed with the sentiments of the prime minister and said there could be "no justification" for Russian military action in Ukraine.
He told the BBC: "I think it is a deeply worrying situation.
"I believe diplomatic and economic pressure we can put on Russia is the best hope we can have for what everyone wants to see, which is the de-escalation of this crisis."
The 1994 Budapest Memorandum guaranteed Ukraine's territorial integrity following the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Former Liberal Democrat leader and special forces veteran, Paddy Ashdown, urged the West to speak "with a single voice", and that only if it did so could it have "diplomatic leverage".
He said that Russia had gone "further than any of us are prepared to go", and that Mr Putin was "calling our bluff".
On Saturday, Mr Hague warned that Russia's action was a "potentially grave threat" to Ukraine.
The UK also called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Saturday afternoon to address the crisis.
"We condemn any act of aggression against Ukraine," the foreign secretary said.
Mr Hague said he had also made clear the UK's support for Ukraine's new government when he spoke to the country's acting President Olexander Turchynov.
International law
The Foreign Office is advising against all travel to Crimea, and urging British nationals in Crimea to leave by all practical means.
US President Barack Obama has told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that Russia has flouted international law by sending troops to Ukraine.
In a 90-minute telephone conversation, Mr Obama urged the Russian leader to pull forces back to bases in Crimea.
Mr Putin responded by saying that Moscow reserved the right to protect its interests and those of Russian speakers in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.
Tensions have been high since Ukraine's elected president, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted in a popular uprising on 22 February.
His removal from power followed four months of street protests that culminated in bloody clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
His removal from power followed four months of street protests that culminated in bloody clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
On Saturday, Mr Hague said the UK would work with international partners to "ensure that reforms by Ukraine are matched by international willingness to provide economic support".
He said Britain would also help Ukraine recover corruptly acquired assets.
Former Conservative foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said the situation was the "most serious crisis since the end of the Cold War".
"This needs to be a defining moment and Putin needs to understand this... in the West's relationship with Russia," he said.
Disastrous
A former British ambassador to Moscow, Sir Tony Brenton, said Mr Hague must "damp down" the tension between Russia and Ukraine.
He said: "[President Putin] has just seen his man, in effect, [Viktor] Yanukovych, overthrown by what he sees as a Western instigated revolt. He [Putin] is determined to maintain Russian influence in Ukraine as a whole, and he has now taken Crimea... hostage.
"William Hague's job in Kiev today is to begin to damp down the dangers of things getting worse. There are two real problems, first of all Ukraine may overreact to the Russian occupation of Crimea and we could get into a shooting engagement, which would be deeply disastrous, and certainly wouldn't get the Russians out.
"And secondly other bits of eastern Ukraine are showing signs of unrest. The Ukraine government in Kiev needs to reassure those part of the country about their attention to the rights of the Russian minority there."
Labour leader Ed Miliband said there could be "no justification" for Russian military action in Ukraine.
"I believe diplomatic and economic pressure we can put on Russia is the best hope we can have for what everyone wants to see, which is the de-escalation of this crisis," he said.
The Foreign Office is advising against all travel to Crimea, and urging British nationals in Crimea to leave by all practical means.
