World Press on Crimean Crisis and Western powers' stance on the matter (March 17, 2014)

The Washington Post published an article by Carol Morello, Will Englund and Griff Witte, headlined "Crimean Parliament Votes to Join Russia."

Crimea’s parliament on Monday voted to break away from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation, a day after a huge majority of the peninsula’s voters chose that option in a referendum that was condemned as a sham in Washington and across Europe," the article begins.

"The vote in parliament now puts the onus on Russia to decide whether, and when, to absorb the territory that has been occupied by Russian forces since late last month. Russian legislators have suggested it is only a matter of time," the article's authors add.

"Crimean election spokesman Mikhail Malyshev said Monday that 83.1 percent of the eligible population had voted Sunday, and that the final result was 96.77 percent to join Russia and 2.51 percent against," the article reads.

"A delegation of 50 members from the Crimean parliament was planning to head to Moscow Monday afternoon to formally present their request for annexation, as Russian officials begin crafting their response. President Vladimir Putin will speak to a joint session of Russia’s parliament about the situation in Crimea on Tuesday afternoon, Ivan Melnikov, a deputy speaker of the lower house, told reporters Monday. The parliament, or State Duma, plans to consider a request for annexation by Friday," the article's authors write. The add that, according to the analysts, Putin will decide how quickly to act on, once the legislation had passed, while the actual accession can be in the works for months.

"The Russian foreign ministry posted a statement Monday elaborating on proposals, presented over the last several days to the United States and other countries, that could keep Ukraine intact.

It calls for a “contact group” of nations that would be required to carry on a dialogue with Kiev and Moscow, as Ukraine draws up a new constitution. Russia wants Ukraine to become a federal republic, with each region enjoying a considerable amount of autonomy, on language and finances. That is a notion that the current government in Kiev totally opposes. It fears that it would lead to the break-up of the country, with the eastern regions moving closer to Russia against the wishes of the western regions. It would also deny Kiev a large share of the taxes that it currently collects," the article reads.

"Russia also wants Ukrainian guarantees that it would remain a neutral nation — and United Nations Security Council Resolution to enshrine that fact. But the plan now being circulated also involves the European Union more deeply in settling the crisis. As first presented, the Russian plan included no explicit role for the EU," the article continues.

"The White House and Western governments rejected the referendum, conducted as thousands of Russian troops occupied the peninsula. Ukraine’s interim prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, dismissed the vote as a “circus” under the “stage direction” of Moscow," the article's authors write, adding that a vote in favor of seceding from Ukraine was widely expected, as ethnic Russians constitute 60 percent of Crimea’s population, and the peninsula has deep historical ties to Russia. "But the vote may only complicate the biggest standoff between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War and increase security fears in the rest of Ukraine and in other former Soviet states," the authors explain.

"Tensions rose elsewhere in Ukraine on Sunday. In the eastern city of Donetsk, thousands of pro-Russian demonstrators rallied in support of following Crimea’s lead and holding a referendum on joining Russia. Clusters of protesters stormed two government offices. Pro-Russian activists in Kharkiv, another troubled city in Ukraine’s east, charged into a cultural center and burned Ukrainian-language books while several thousand Moscow sympathizers marched in the southern city of Odessa, according to the Reuters news agency,"the article reads.


"As voting was about to commence, Russia’s military presence on the peninsula increased dramatically. A Ukrainian Defense Ministry official said about 50 military trucks carrying diesel generators were observed late Saturday on the road to Sevastopol. About 100 armored vehicles and trucks were seen heading toward a military airport near Dzhankoy in northern Crimea, said Vladislav Seleznyov, a ministry spokesman. Acting Ukrainian Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh said Sunday that Russia had sharply elevated its troop presence in Crimea in recent days, bringing the total to 22,000. Tenyukh told the Interfax news agency that under basing agreements, Russia is limited to 12,500 troops in Crimea," the article continues.

"The United States and most Western countries have said that they will not recognize the results of the referendum, citing the Russian military occupation that began a few weeks ago and the crisis conditions under which the vote was called," the article's author's write, adding that President Obama and Russian President Vladi­mir Putin spoke by phone, and, according to a Kremlin statement, the two presidents agreed to “work together” to help maintain calm in Ukraine.

"In an earlier phone call between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, Lavrov insisted that the referendum was legitimate but also said that “the results should be the starting point in determining the future of the peninsula,” according to a statement issued Sunday by the Russian Foreign Ministry," the article reads. The authors then cite the State Department's version of the call, according to which "Kerry had reaffirmed that the U.S. government will not recognize the outcome of the referendum. Kerry, the official said, “raised strong concerns” about Russian military activity near the Crimean border and “continuing provocations in eastern cities in Ukraine”."

"But the Russian and U.S. statements appeared to provide a flicker of optimism that the situation might be resolved without Russian annexation of Crimea," the article concludes.