US Vice President Joe Biden told Russia yesterday that “time is short” for action on defusing the crisis in eastern Ukraine, but Moscow refused to be rushed, saying it could handle any tougher economic sanctions the West might impose.
Ukraine’s acting president called for a government operation against pro-Russian rebels who have seized control in eastern towns and cities to be relaunched after a local politician from his own party was found dead and bearing signs of torture.
A previous Kiev offensive failed when the separatists took control of army vehicles, but the US, Russia, Ukraine and the European Union signed an accord in Geneva last week intended to calm the crisis.
Speaking on a visit to Kiev, Biden called on Moscow to pull back troops built up on Ukraine’s borders and persuade the separatists to disarm.
“We’ve heard a lot from Russian officials in the past few days. But now it’s time for Russia to stop talking and start acting,” he told a news conference.
“We will not allow this to become an open-ended process. Time is short in which to make progress.”
The US has repeatedly warned Russia it faces “mounting costs” if it fails to ensure full implementation of the Geneva agreement, which stipulates the rebels must leave government buildings they have occupied in the past two weeks.
Now it’s time for Russia to stop talking and start acting
But the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, ruled out rapid progress. “Of course, it would be naive to suppose that all this could happen quickly,” Churkin said in an interview on Rossiya-24 television, adding that about three million weapons were held illegally in Ukraine by “radicals” including members of a national guard that Kiev is forming.
“How are these radicals, which sometimes declare themselves to be national guards and thus receive official status, to be disarmed?” he asked.
Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and the eastern rebellion have deepened the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War, and Biden demanded the removal of Russian forces near Ukraine’s frontier that Moscow insists are merely on exercises.
“No nation should threaten its neighbours by amassing troops along the border. We call on Russia to pull these forces,” Biden said after meeting Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk.
Moscow denies it is orchestrating the militants, who say they want the chance to join Crimea in becoming part of Russia following the overthrow of Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovych after months of street protests in Kiev. But Washington has said it would decide “in days” on additional sanctions if Russia does not take steps to implement the agreement.
In Moscow, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev promised the country could deal with tougher measures if necessary.
“We shan’t give up on cooperation with foreign companies, including from Western countries, but we will be ready for unfriendly steps,” he told Parliament.
So far the US and EU have imposed visa bans and asset freezes on only a limited number of Russians over the annexation of Crimea last month.
Ukraine declared an Easter truce last weekend, and its forces appear powerless in any case to tackle the armed rebels. Acting President Oleksander Turchinov nevertheless demanded more action, saying in a statement that “brutally tortured” bodies had been found near the city of Slaviansk, which is in the hands of the militants.
One was that of Volodymyr Rybak, a member of Turchinov’s Batkivshchyna party, who had recently been abducted.
“These crimes are being carried out with the full support and indulgence of the Russian Federation,” he said.
“I call on the security agencies to relaunch and carry out effective anti-terrorist measures, with the aim of protecting Ukrainian citizens living in eastern Ukraine from terrorists.”