WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama held a telephonic conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and urged him to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine.
In a statement the White House said that Obama stressed to Putin that his country’s actions in Crimea were a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty.
Obama said that there was a solution available that suited all parties, involving talks between Kiev and Moscow, international monitors in Ukraine and Russian forces returning to their bases.
On the other hand, the Kremlin’s press office said that Putin told Obama that US-Russian relations should not be sacrificed due to disagreements over individual, albeit extremely significant, international problems.
“(He) stressed the paramount importance of Russian-American relations to ensure stability and security in the world. These relations should not be sacrificed for individual differences, albeit very important ones, over international problems,” the Kremlin said.
The Russian president said that his country cannot ignore calls for help and is adequately responding within the framework of international law.
“Russia cannot ignore calls for help in this matter and it acts accordingly, in full compliance with the international law,” Putin said.
On Thursday, the members of Crimean parliament unanimously voted for the Ukraine’s autonomous region to become a part of Russia. Meanwhile, the region’s deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgaliev announced that a referendum on the status of Crimea will be held on March 16.
