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| Obama calls on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine’s border | Obama calls on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine’s border |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| President Obama called on Russia on Friday to pull back tens of thousands of troops massed along its border with Ukraine, as U.S. officials said they have grown increasingly concerned that the size and makeup of the force could portend a new Russian attempt to annex swaths of its neighbor. | |
| In recent days, Russia has deployed sustainment units in addition to combat forces to border areas and has taken steps to conceal some of the contingents, U.S. officials said. Speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence assessments, U.S. officials added that they have seen no evidence to corroborate Russia’s assurances that the soldiers are there solely to conduct training exercises. | |
| Saying it was unclear whether the troop deployment was “simply an effort to intimidate Ukraine” or a sure sign of a looming invasion, Obama called on Moscow to ease tensions by disperse its massed troops. | |
| “We reject the notion that there is a sphere of influence along the Russian border that then justifies Russia invading other countries,” the president told CBS News during a visit to Rome. “That is not how international law and international norms are observed in the 21st century.” | “We reject the notion that there is a sphere of influence along the Russian border that then justifies Russia invading other countries,” the president told CBS News during a visit to Rome. “That is not how international law and international norms are observed in the 21st century.” |
| In Washington, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) called on the Obama administration to heed Ukraine’s requests for military equipment, a step the White House has so far declined to take because officials fear it could heighten the chances of armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. | In Washington, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) called on the Obama administration to heed Ukraine’s requests for military equipment, a step the White House has so far declined to take because officials fear it could heighten the chances of armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. |
| “The West should act now to help them,” the senators said in a statement. “Giving victims of aggression some better means to defend their sovereign territory against further aggression is simply the right and decent thing to do.” | “The West should act now to help them,” the senators said in a statement. “Giving victims of aggression some better means to defend their sovereign territory against further aggression is simply the right and decent thing to do.” |
| The lawmakers said Russia’s annexation of Crimea this month should serve as a “wake-up call” to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and they argued that the alliance needs to “urgently conduct contingency planning and military exercises” to deter further aggression. They said Moldova and Georgia, two other former Soviet republics, are vulnerable. | The lawmakers said Russia’s annexation of Crimea this month should serve as a “wake-up call” to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and they argued that the alliance needs to “urgently conduct contingency planning and military exercises” to deter further aggression. They said Moldova and Georgia, two other former Soviet republics, are vulnerable. |
| Russian officials reiterated Friday that the troops along the border are there solely for training exercises. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said that international observers had visited the area and did not report seeing evidence of a looming invasion. | Russian officials reiterated Friday that the troops along the border are there solely for training exercises. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said that international observers had visited the area and did not report seeing evidence of a looming invasion. |
| “So, did they show signs of a military threat from Russia to Ukraine?” he said. “Nothing like that.” | “So, did they show signs of a military threat from Russia to Ukraine?” he said. “Nothing like that.” |
| Lukashevich said a team of Ukrainian inspectors visited a border area near Belgorod between March 18 and 20 and concluded that the three battalions of airborne troops there did not signal a “threatening military buildup.” | |
| On Thursday, the acting chief of Ukraine’s presidential administration, Serhiy Pashinsky, told reporters that he does not believe a Russian attack is imminent. But he suggested that Moscow is encouraging speculation about an intervention as a means of conducting what he called an “information attack.” | |
| “With regard to the situation in the northern, eastern and southern borders of our state, over the last few days we have not detected activation of Russian troops,” Pashinsky said. “The situation remains stable, the troops of the [Ukrainian] Ministry of Defense, border guards and internal troops are fully mobilized and deployed.” | |
| Officials at the Pentagon and intelligence agencies have closely studied Russian troop movements this week, seeking insight into Moscow’s strategy. | |
| “We remain concerned about their intent,” Rear Adm. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said Friday afternoon. “We don’t have perfect visibility on that intent. We’ve been assured they’re there simply to conduct training exercises. Our expectation is that they are going to live up to their word.” | |
| U.S. intelligence agencies believe the troop deployment to the border currently includes tens of thousands of soldiers, an American official said. But government analysts do not yet have a strong indication of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans, the official said. | |
| “We are seeing activity and keeping policymakers informed,” said Shawn Turner, spokesman for the director of national intelligence. | |
| American and European leaders were taken aback by the speed with which Russia annexed Crimea, a province where many ethnic Russians welcomed Moscow’s embrace. Seeking to prevent Russia from reaching deeper into Ukraine, the Obama administration and its allies have imposed sanctions on senior Russian officials and threatened to take steps that would harm Russia’s energy and other sectors. | |
| British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said during a visit to Washington this week that he believed Moscow could take one more aggressive step before backing down, calling that classical Russian military doctrine. The West, he argued, should continue to focus on responding diplomatically. | |
| “Everything about the way Putin is playing this and the nationalistic sentiments he is appealing to suggest a more aggressive response from the West would play into his hand,” he told reporters this week at the British Embassy. | |
| Alexander Malevany, deputy head of Russia’s security service, the FSB, said at a Kremlin ceremony Friday that Moscow is taking steps to counteract what he described as malign meddling by the West. | |
| “The lawful desire of the peoples of Crimea and eastern Ukrainian regions is causing hysteria in the United States and its allies,” he said. “They are taking measures designed to have a destructive impact on the socio-political and economic situation in our country. They have clearly demonstrated their desire to weaken Russia’s influence on a vitally important area.” | |
| During his interview Friday, Obama said Moscow is misreading U.S. foreign policy. | |
| “We have no interest in encircling Russia, and we have no interest in Ukraine beyond letting the Ukrainian people make their own decisions about their own lives,” he said. | |
| Will Englund in Moscow and Adam Goldman in Washington contributed to this report. |