Ukraine attacks Russia 'aggression'

Ukraine’s prime minister has told the UN Security Council that Russia had carried out “military aggression” in Crimea, and dramatically switched from English to Russian to ask Russia whether it wants war.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk, on a visit to New York, said Ukraine has had “warm and friendly relations” with Russia for decades and he is also convinced “that Russians do not want war”.

“And I hope that the Russian government and the Russian president will heed the wishes of their people and that we return urgently to dialogue and solve this conflict,” he said.

Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin gave him a direct answer: “Russia does not want war and neither do the Russians, and I’m convinced the Ukrainians don’t want that either.”

Mr Churkin did not respond to Mr Yatsenyuk’s call to return to talks. Instead, he criticised the “illegal” and “forceful overthrow” of president Viktor Yanukovich and asked why a European-mediated plan signed by Yanukovych and Ukraine’s protest leaders to form a new government and hold an early election wasn’t seized upon and implemented. Russia refused to sign the agreement but now supports it.

He said: “Instead of a government of national unity as provided for in the February 21 agreement, in Kiev what you had was a government of the victors.”

In his brief speech, Mr Yatsenyuk accused Russia of violating the UN Charter and several treaties and urged Moscow to pull back its troops in the Crimean peninsula to barracks and to start real negotiations to tackle the conflict.

The public in Crimea will vote on Sunday whether to break away from Ukraine and become part of Russia. Moscow yesterday conducted new military manoeuvres near its border with Ukraine.

“This aggression has no reasons and no grounds,” Mr Yatsenyuk said. “This is absolutely and entirely unacceptable in the 21st century, to resolve any kind of conflict with tanks, artillery and boots on the ground.”

Later, speaking to reporters, he wondered aloud whether “the final destination” of Russia’s military is Crimea, Kiev or other cities ruled by the Soviet Union 60 years ago.

Mr Yatsenyuk stressed that the conflict goes beyond his country’s borders, reminding the council that Ukraine gave up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal in 1994 in exchange for guarantees of its territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence by three nuclear powers – Russia, the US and Britain.

“After these actions, it would be very hard to convince anyone in the globe not to have nuclear weapons,” he said.

The Security Council was holding its sixth meeting on Ukraine in less than two weeks. It has been unable to take any action because Russia, as a permanent member, has veto power.

Shortly before the meeting, the United States circulated a draft resolution which would reaffirm the Security Council’s commitment “to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders”.

The draft urges all parties “to pursue immediately the peaceful resolution of this dispute through direct political dialogue”, to protect the rights of minorities in Ukraine.

It notes that Ukraine has not authorised Sunday’s referendum in Crimea, and “declares that this referendum can have no validity, and cannot form the basis for any alteration of the status of Crimea”.

Western powers are hoping for a vote on the resolution before Sunday’s referendum.