Kerry: Russian agents ‘create chaos’ in Ukraine. - He said U.S. President Obama is preparing a far-tougher set of sanctions

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russia on Tuesday of sending its agents into eastern Ukraine to “create chaos,” saying Moscow could be trying to lay the groundwork for military action like in Crimea.
“Everything that we’ve seen in the last 48 hours, from Russian provocateurs and agents operating in eastern Ukraine, tells us that they’ve been sent there determined to create chaos,” Kerry told U.S. lawmakers.
He described the efforts as “illegal, illegitimate,” and “absolutely unacceptable,” saying Moscow was seeking to further destabilize neighboring Ukraine by engaging in separatist activity.

“It is clear that Russian special forces and agents have been the catalyst behind the chaos of the last 24 hours,” Kerry told lawmakers, adding this “could potentially be a contrived pretext for military intervention just as we saw in Crimea.”
The White House on Monday warned Russia’s President Vladimir Putin against moving either “overtly or covertly” into eastern Ukraine, saying it was concerned about “several escalatory” moves over the weekend.

• “We call on President Putin and his government to cease all efforts to destabilize Ukraine and we caution against further military intervention,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters, according to Reuters.

He warned that any move into eastern Ukraine by Russian forces would be regarded as “a serious escalation and would unleash new consequences from the West,” Agence France-Presse reported.
Ukraine’s acting president has said that he would treat Russian separatists who have seized buildings in the east of the country as “terrorists” who will be prosecuted with the full force of the law.........[english.alarabiya.net]
8/4/14
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• NATO Secretary General calls for readiness action plan. -- "France has kept defence spending close to our agreed target of 2% of economic output"

• US: Russia May Have Instigated Separatist Protests in Ukraine

• Lavrov: US and EU line on Ukraine "unproductive and dangerous".

• Donetsk Oblast legislators decide to hold referendum on region’s future before May 11

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• US: Russia is Fueling Unrest in Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told U.S. senators that Russia is fueling separatist unrest in Eastern Ukraine that could be what he called a "contrived crisis" to justify military intervention.

Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations committee Tuesday that Russia's involvement in pro-Russia unrest in at least three Ukrainian cities is "clear and unmistakable." He said U.S. President Obama is preparing a far-tougher set of sanctions on Russia if Moscow continues its efforts to destabilize Ukraine.

Kerry said Russia has a choice to work with the international community in a way that allows Ukraine to become a bridge between East and West, or it could face greater isolation and pay the cost of its actions.

Earlier Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow that the southeastern parts of Ukraine should be included in talks about the country's future. He said Russia wants to see those regions, which are largely Russian-speaking, represented in multilateral talks.

Also Tuesday, Russia's foreign ministry called on Ukraine to halt what it called military preparations in the southeast that could lead to civil war.

And in Paris, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned that further Russian intervention in Ukraine would be an "historic mistake" that would further isolate Russia from the world. Instead, he said, Russia should pull back its troops, fulfill its international commitments, and engage in constructive dialogue with Ukraine...................... [voanews.com]
8/4/14