The Kiev Crisis on the steep path towards changing into a global one. Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded and won his parliament’s approval on Saturday to invade Ukraine. Till the move sparked harsh criticisms from temporary government’s Western backers. The United States said Russia was in clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and called on Moscow to withdraw its forces back to bases in Crimea. It also urged the deployment of international monitors to Ukraine. The White House also said that it would suspend participation in preparatory meetings for a Summit of G8 countries in Sochi, Russia and warned of greater political and economic isolation. On the other hand, during a telephone call with President Obama which lasted 90 minutes last Saturday, Putin defended from his military action. He told Obama that Russia reserved the right to protect its interests and those of Russian speakers in Ukraine. But President Obama told him that if he had any concerns about the safety of Russian residents, he should address them peacefully.
Right after the collapse of Ukrainian elected government, Yanukovich headed towards Russia and took part in press conference and announced himself as the legal President of Ukraine, and expressed his resolve to continue combating with new illegal government. But he persisted people to keep their unity and avoid bloodshed.
Previously, right after the flee of Yanukovich, troops with no insignia on their uniforms but clearly Russian - some in vehicles with Russian number plates - have already seized Crimea, an isolated peninsula in the Black Sea where Moscow has a large military presence in the headquarters of its Black Sea Fleet. Kiev’s new authorities have been powerless to stop them.
The Moscow move is a direct rebuff to demands of US and EU of avoiding military intervention in the Ukraine. The defeat of Russian backed government indeed was branded as defeat of Moscow against his western rivals. Though the Ukraine, a former member of USSR, was a controversial point between Russia and NATO but since the start of Kiev protest the situation became further dangerous. It reached to a level that affected the relation between US and EU as American diplomat burst in anger of reluctant EU of aggressive engagement in Ukraine.
Indeed both EU and US forgot the Yanukovich was the elected president and came to power through very channels that they spearhead across the globe. Now Russia is responding tit-for-tat which may end up to a full-fledged global crisis.