Moscow (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has phoned his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, to discuss possible steps for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine.
The conversation lasted about an hour, Obama asked Russia to withdraw its troops from the borders and not to further violate the sovereignty of Kiev. Putin lamented the violence of extremists against the pro-Russian population in different regions of the country. He also mentioned the situation in Transnistria, a region between Moldova and Ukraine, with a Russian military presence, which in recent days has declared itself an autonomous republic and wants to be annexed by Russia.
Obama has also asked for a
written response to the proposal that the Secretary of State, John Kerry submitted
to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov in recent days in The Hague.
The
Kerry plan, developed in conjunction with the Government of Ukraine and the
European Union (EU), provides for the deployment of international observers in
the Crimea to protect the people who speak Russian and the return of Russian
soldiers inside their bases.
Meanwhile , in New York, UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki -moon, said he had received assurances from Putin that
he has no intention to take "further military action" in Ukraine . A
concentration of Russian troops at the border with Ukraine have raised concerns
of a planned Russian invasion in the eastern regions of Ukraine.
In
recent days, the U.S. and EU have launched sanctions against officials and
businessmen close to Putin, threatening further economic sanctions. Because of
this, the Moscow stock exchange has lost nearly 10 points.