A. Yatseniuk: We demand from the Government of Russia to immediately withdraw troops from Crimea

”Inadequate Russian presence on the Crimean territory is nothing else but provocation. We don’t yield to provocations, don’t use force. We demand from the Government of the Russian Federation and the leaders of Russia to immediately withdraw the troops and return them to their permanent deployment places,” the Prime Minister of Ukraine Arsenii Yatseniuk stated during the session of the Cabinet of Ministers on March 1.

“We consider there is inadequate presence of the Russian military officers in Crimea now. It is nothing else but violation of essential requirements of the Agreement on temporary location of the Black Sea fleet on the Ukraine’s territory,” the Prime Minister stressed.

According to Arsenii Yatseniuk, the Government realizes there has been a plan to create “the new Ossetia” on the territory of Ukraine – with victims, bloodshed, military and civil conflict.

Therefrom the reaction of Ukraine and Ukrainian authorities was clear – we don’t yield to provocations. We don’t use force. We demand from the Government of the Russian Federation and the leaders of Russia to immediately withdraw the troops and return them to their permanent deployment, the Head of Ukrainian Government emphasized.

Otherwise, the responsibility for any kind of confrontation that could be caused by those radical forces supported by the Russian military officers in fact shall lie on the Russian Federation and on the leaders of Russia personally, who have instructed to increase military presence on Ukraine’s territory, Arsenii Yatseniuk accentuated.

The Head of the Government informed the previous nights he had had telephone talks with US Vice President Joe Biden, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and several foreign affairs ministers of Europe: “The position of our countries-partners is precise – everyone has made strict statements regarding preserving the territorial integrity of Ukraine and none is afforded to intrude into internal matters of Ukraine, by abusing the Agreement on temporary location of the Black Sea fleet on the territory of the Autonomy”.

The USA has raised a question of Crimea at the Security Council of the United Nations Organization, the Prime Minister stressed. “The UN Security Council has adopted two decisions – to set up a monitoring group and create immediately an advisory mechanism”.

The whole world is following the events and the whole world has expressed support to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukrainian state, he added.

“It is inacceptable when the Russian militarymen are walking with weapon on Ukrainian land, on the territory of the Crimea, in the center of the town. So I reiterate – immediate returning of all the troops of Russia to their permanent deployment places. Russian partners, stop provoking civil military confrontation in Ukraine and fulfill basis requirements of the Agreement,” the Prime Minister stressed.