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| Ukraine crisis: Putin says referendum on autonomy should be postponed | Ukraine crisis: Putin says referendum on autonomy should be postponed |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The Kremlin beat a tactical retreat on Wednesday over a regional referendum scheduled for Sunday that would bring calls for more Russian annexation of tracts of Ukraine. | The Kremlin beat a tactical retreat on Wednesday over a regional referendum scheduled for Sunday that would bring calls for more Russian annexation of tracts of Ukraine. |
| Following days of soaring tension that have left dozens dead and fed fears of a civil war in Ukraine, Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, said the referendum being staged by pro-Russia separatists in parts of eastern Ukraine on Sunday should be postponed. | Following days of soaring tension that have left dozens dead and fed fears of a civil war in Ukraine, Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, said the referendum being staged by pro-Russia separatists in parts of eastern Ukraine on Sunday should be postponed. |
| Overt Russian support for the plebiscite could have triggered more substantive EU and US sanctions against Russia. Putin's statement, following talks with the president of Switzerland in Moscow, looked likely to delay the imposition of a harsher round of economic penalties. | Overt Russian support for the plebiscite could have triggered more substantive EU and US sanctions against Russia. Putin's statement, following talks with the president of Switzerland in Moscow, looked likely to delay the imposition of a harsher round of economic penalties. |
| While Moscow has also always opposed the holding of presidential elections in Ukraine on 25 May, a ballot strongly supported by the west, Putin also sounded more conciliatory, saying that the poll could be a step in the right direction. | While Moscow has also always opposed the holding of presidential elections in Ukraine on 25 May, a ballot strongly supported by the west, Putin also sounded more conciliatory, saying that the poll could be a step in the right direction. |
| The Russian leader, however, insisted that a presidential election should be preceded by constitutional changes in Ukraine aimed at federalising the country and handing greater powers to the regions, steps that would favour greater Russian influence over eastern Ukraine after the Kremlin annexed the Crimean peninsula in March. | The Russian leader, however, insisted that a presidential election should be preceded by constitutional changes in Ukraine aimed at federalising the country and handing greater powers to the regions, steps that would favour greater Russian influence over eastern Ukraine after the Kremlin annexed the Crimean peninsula in March. |
| Putin said the Russian troops have been pulled back from the Ukrainian border to their training grounds and locations for "regular exercises," but did not specify whether those locations were in areas near Ukraine. However, Nato and White House both said they had seen no indication of a change in the position of Russian military forces. "We would certainly welcome a meaningful and transparent withdrawal" White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. "To date, there has been no evidence that such a withdrawal has taken place." | |
| Ukraine's interim prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, dismissed Putin's call to postpone the referendum as "hot air". | |
| It remained unclear whether the pro-Russia gunmen who have taken over public buildings in a number of towns in the Donetsk region would drop their referendum plans. | It remained unclear whether the pro-Russia gunmen who have taken over public buildings in a number of towns in the Donetsk region would drop their referendum plans. |
| Outside the main headquarters of the separatist movement, an occupied government building in Donetsk, there was confusion at Putin's statement. A group of men guarding the entrance insisted that it was impossible Putin had offered support for the Kiev elections and asked to delay the referendum, and were certain it was a false story dreamed up by nefarious Ukrainian and western media. | Outside the main headquarters of the separatist movement, an occupied government building in Donetsk, there was confusion at Putin's statement. A group of men guarding the entrance insisted that it was impossible Putin had offered support for the Kiev elections and asked to delay the referendum, and were certain it was a false story dreamed up by nefarious Ukrainian and western media. |
| "So Russia has abandoned us as well," said 58-year-old Natalia Medvedenko. "Well we will just have to fight the fascists on our own. But I still don't quite believe it." | "So Russia has abandoned us as well," said 58-year-old Natalia Medvedenko. "Well we will just have to fight the fascists on our own. But I still don't quite believe it." |
| In rebel-held Slavyansk a member of the militia who gave his name as Rustem described Putin as a "coward" who was "afraid of losing his money". | |
| "Instead of helping Russian people here, he is betraying us. He will pay for this with a revolution in Red Square. Russian people will not stand by and watch this happen," he said as he loaded sandbags into a truck. | |
| The Russian government said this week that constitutional changes in Ukraine should be enacted later this year, putting the presidential election off until the year's end. | |
| That strategy is rejected by the west. Senior western officials pushed for the 25 May poll to go ahead and accused Moscow of working assiduously to foment chaos in order to invalidate the election. | That strategy is rejected by the west. Senior western officials pushed for the 25 May poll to go ahead and accused Moscow of working assiduously to foment chaos in order to invalidate the election. |
| They described Sunday's secession referendum as a bogus poll that would be seen as illegitimate, while insisting that the national election go ahead. | They described Sunday's secession referendum as a bogus poll that would be seen as illegitimate, while insisting that the national election go ahead. |
| The Ukrainians "cannot be bullied out of having their elections by disorder that is deliberately fomented and coordinated from another country – in this case from Russia", the foreign secretary, William Hague, told the BBC after visiting Kiev and before Putin spoke. | The Ukrainians "cannot be bullied out of having their elections by disorder that is deliberately fomented and coordinated from another country – in this case from Russia", the foreign secretary, William Hague, told the BBC after visiting Kiev and before Putin spoke. |
| "They are entitled to have their democratic choice, to choose their own president." | "They are entitled to have their democratic choice, to choose their own president." |
| Herman Van Rompuy, the senior EU official who chairs EU summits, delivered the same message. "The immediate goal is to support free and fair presidential elections. We agreed that further steps by Russia to destabilise the situation in Ukraine would lead to additional, far-reaching consequences," he said. | Herman Van Rompuy, the senior EU official who chairs EU summits, delivered the same message. "The immediate goal is to support free and fair presidential elections. We agreed that further steps by Russia to destabilise the situation in Ukraine would lead to additional, far-reaching consequences," he said. |
| With the tug-of-war between Russia and the west over the fate of Ukraine focused on popular votes, John Kerry, the US secretary of state, dismissed the prospect of Sunday's separatist referendum in the east of the country, describing it as contrived and bogus. | With the tug-of-war between Russia and the west over the fate of Ukraine focused on popular votes, John Kerry, the US secretary of state, dismissed the prospect of Sunday's separatist referendum in the east of the country, describing it as contrived and bogus. |
| "We flatly reject this illegal effort to further divide Ukraine," he said. While Nato says Putin has a 40,000-strong force poised on Ukraine's eastern border, the Russian president said on Wednesday that the troops had been pulled back. | "We flatly reject this illegal effort to further divide Ukraine," he said. While Nato says Putin has a 40,000-strong force poised on Ukraine's eastern border, the Russian president said on Wednesday that the troops had been pulled back. |
| "We're always being told that our forces on the Ukrainian border are a concern. We have withdrawn them. Today they are not on the Ukrainian border," he said. | "We're always being told that our forces on the Ukrainian border are a concern. We have withdrawn them. Today they are not on the Ukrainian border," he said. |
| The Americans and the Europeans are engaged in intensive talks over a third round of sanctions against Russia, targeting key industrial and economic sectors. Deciding to implement the next round of sanctions would mark a major escalation and entail Russian retaliation, hurting weak European economies. | The Americans and the Europeans are engaged in intensive talks over a third round of sanctions against Russia, targeting key industrial and economic sectors. Deciding to implement the next round of sanctions would mark a major escalation and entail Russian retaliation, hurting weak European economies. |
| Catherine Ashton, the top EU foreign policy official, was in Washington discussing the options, while US Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, David Cohen, toured key EU capitals to coordinate possible sanctions moves. | Catherine Ashton, the top EU foreign policy official, was in Washington discussing the options, while US Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, David Cohen, toured key EU capitals to coordinate possible sanctions moves. |
| "We are moving in a strong and systematic way to maximise the cost on Russia … while minimising to the extent possible the spillover on other economies including those here in Europe," he said in Paris. | "We are moving in a strong and systematic way to maximise the cost on Russia … while minimising to the extent possible the spillover on other economies including those here in Europe," he said in Paris. |
| Depending on Putin's moves, however, the wider sanctions regime looked improbable. Hague emphasised the long-term cost to Moscow of its policies in Ukraine. | Depending on Putin's moves, however, the wider sanctions regime looked improbable. Hague emphasised the long-term cost to Moscow of its policies in Ukraine. |
| Meanwhile violence continued to simmer in Mariupol, an industrial port city in Ukraine's southeast. An hour long gunfight reportedly broke out on the main road approaching the city from Berdyansk after rebels ambushed a bus carrying special forces. "The bus driver was wounded, one of the attackers was killed and another two killed," Ukraine's interior ministry said in a statement. | |
| According to the ministry one of those captured was the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic defence minister Igor Kakidzanov. | |
| Ukrainian forces then reportedly "cleaned" the rebel held city administration building before abandoning it less than an hour later and allowing the rebels' to retake control. | |
| Elsewhere a prisoner exchange between rebel representatives and the government in Kiev appears to have led to the release of up to three rebel leaders in return for four Ukrainian security services officers beaten and paraded on television after their capture on 27 April. On of the rebels released is Pavel Gubarev, the leader of the self-declared Donetsk republic. | |
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