UNITED NATIONS
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calls for "full respect for and preservation of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine."
Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson delivered the statement on Saturday afternoon as members of the Security Council met in an emergency closed-door session regarding the developing events in Ukraine's Crimea region.
The spokesman, Martin Nesirky, said that Ban is gravely concerned over Ukraine’s crisis and particularly the developments in Crimea, and demands "immediate restoration of calm and direct dialogue between all concerned."
Nesirky said that the UN is asking sides to have a direct dialogue in order to solve the problem, and confirmed that the secretary general intends to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the issue.
He added that the advisor of Ban Ki-moon, Robert Serry, will not be visiting Crimea, as planned, and that Serry is going back to Geneva on Sunday to speak to Ban about his visit to Ukraine.
Nesirky confirmed that the Deputy of UN Secretary General Jan Eliasson will be speaking to press about Saturday’s meeting.
Meanwhile, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton has disapproved Russia's move to authorize the use of armed forces in Ukraine's Crimean Autonomous Republic, amid escalation of tension in the strategic peninsula.
In a statement Saturday, Ashton deplored Russia's decision on using armed forces in Ukraine, calling it "an unwarranted escalation of tensions."
She called upon the Russian Federation not to dispatch troops, but to promote its views through peaceful means.
"Any possible movements, action and stationing of forces must be in accordance of international law and commitments, notably under the UN Charter and the OSCE Final Act, the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, as well as bilateral treaties such as the one regulating the stationing of the Black Sea Fleet," she said.
Ashton urged all sides to decrease the ongoing tension immediately through dialogue, in full respect of Ukrainian and international law.
Ashton highlighted that the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine must be respected at all times, and by all sides.
"Any violation of these principles is unacceptable. More than ever, restraint and sense of responsibility are needed," she added.
Ashton also praised the "measured response" by the interim government of Ukraine to what she called the "extremely worrying developments" in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea over the last few days.
She said she would meet with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after the extraordinary meeting with the Foreign Affairs Council, scheduled for Monday to discuss the EU's response to the developments in Ukraine.
"I will also travel to Kiev on Wednesday to address these issues with all stakeholders," she concluded.
Earlier on Saturday, Russia’s parliament unanimously passed President Vladimir Putin's motion for the potential use of armed forces in Ukraine’s Crimean Autonomous Republic.
Putin’s motion to deploy Russian troops in Crimea came after Sergey Aksenov, the Prime Minister of the autonomous Republic of Crimea, called "for assistance in guaranteeing peace on the territory of the autonomous Republic of Crimea," upon which Kremlin said it would not disregard the appeal.
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