Western nations are pushing for a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, with British Foreign Secretary William Hague saying the U.S. and Britain are pursuing "every diplomatic opportunity" to bring Russian and Ukrainian officials into contact with each other.
Russia did not join Hague and his U.S. and Ukrainian counterparts at a Wednesday morning meeting in Paris of the so-called Budapest agreement group. Under the Budapest Memorandum of the 1990s, the U.S., Britain and Russia agreed to support Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Hague said further attempts would be made later in the day to bring the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers together.
Hague said there will be "costs and consequences" for Russia if diplomatic progress is not made. He said Russia should take into account that a long-term pattern of intervening like it has in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova will change its relationship with European nations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted Wednesday as saying he does not want the "political tension" between Russian and Ukraine to detract from economic cooperation between the two countries.
"There is no need to put anyone in a more difficult situation; it is necessary to cooperate with all of our traditional partners, of course, protecting our interests," Putin told a meeting of his cabinet.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry later in the day in Paris, where they and other foreign ministers are attending a conference on Lebanon.
Western leaders have been calling for a de-escalation of tensions sparked when Russian forces moved into Ukraine's Crimean peninsula late last week. The West has suggested the crisis could be resolved if Russia pulls back its forces to their bases on the Black Sea peninsula and allows in international monitors.
But Lavrov said Wednesday that Russia cannot order pro-Russian armed forces in Crimea, which he described as "self-defense" forces, back to bases, because they are not Russian forces. He said Russia's Black Sea fleet personnel are in their normal positions.
And he said allowing international monitors into Crimea is not Russia's decision, but the decision of Ukrainian and Crimean authorities.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also denied that Russian military forces are deployed in Crimea.
He dismissed as a "provocation" video footage showing Russian armored military vehicles with Russian license plates on the peninsula and a soldier in the Crimean town of Kerch identifying himself and his fellow serviceman as Russians.
Meanwhile, the head of the European Union's executive arm, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, said Wednesday the EU is ready to provide Ukraine $15 billion in aid in the coming years.
In Madrid Wednesday, Russia's Lavrov said the West set a "bad example" by supporting Ukrainian protesters that Russia has accused of an "unconstitutional" coup. Lavrov spoke alongside his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel García-Margallo.
NATO and Russia have agreed to meet Wednesday in Brussels for talks on the crisis in Ukraine -- their first public contact since the Crimea crisis began.
NATO said Tuesday the Russian military presence in Ukraine presents "serious implications for the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area."
Kerry was in Kyiv on Tuesday to meet with Ukrainian officials and said the United States wants to see a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
The Obama administration also announced a $1 billion energy subsidy package for Ukraine, which is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
The Crimean peninsula was placed under Ukrainian control in 1954 by then-Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. It remained part of Ukraine when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Crimea has a tiny border with Russia on its far eastern point, and the Crimean port of Sevastapol is home to Russia's Black Sea fleet.
Most residents of Crimea are ethnic Russians, but the region also is home to ethnic Muslim Tatars, who generally show disdain for Russia.
Ukrainian officials say Moscow has sent 16,000 troops into Crimea since last week.
Ukraine's troubles began in November, when president Viktor Yanukovych backed out of a trade deal with the European Union in favor of closer ties and economic aid from Russia. The move triggered weeks of pro-Western anti-government demonstrations in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine, and forced the pro-Russian Yanukovych to flee the capital in late February.
Russia did not join Hague and his U.S. and Ukrainian counterparts at a Wednesday morning meeting in Paris of the so-called Budapest agreement group. Under the Budapest Memorandum of the 1990s, the U.S., Britain and Russia agreed to support Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Hague said further attempts would be made later in the day to bring the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers together.
Hague said there will be "costs and consequences" for Russia if diplomatic progress is not made. He said Russia should take into account that a long-term pattern of intervening like it has in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova will change its relationship with European nations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted Wednesday as saying he does not want the "political tension" between Russian and Ukraine to detract from economic cooperation between the two countries.
"There is no need to put anyone in a more difficult situation; it is necessary to cooperate with all of our traditional partners, of course, protecting our interests," Putin told a meeting of his cabinet.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry later in the day in Paris, where they and other foreign ministers are attending a conference on Lebanon.
Western leaders have been calling for a de-escalation of tensions sparked when Russian forces moved into Ukraine's Crimean peninsula late last week. The West has suggested the crisis could be resolved if Russia pulls back its forces to their bases on the Black Sea peninsula and allows in international monitors.
But Lavrov said Wednesday that Russia cannot order pro-Russian armed forces in Crimea, which he described as "self-defense" forces, back to bases, because they are not Russian forces. He said Russia's Black Sea fleet personnel are in their normal positions.
And he said allowing international monitors into Crimea is not Russia's decision, but the decision of Ukrainian and Crimean authorities.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also denied that Russian military forces are deployed in Crimea.
He dismissed as a "provocation" video footage showing Russian armored military vehicles with Russian license plates on the peninsula and a soldier in the Crimean town of Kerch identifying himself and his fellow serviceman as Russians.
Meanwhile, the head of the European Union's executive arm, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, said Wednesday the EU is ready to provide Ukraine $15 billion in aid in the coming years.
In Madrid Wednesday, Russia's Lavrov said the West set a "bad example" by supporting Ukrainian protesters that Russia has accused of an "unconstitutional" coup. Lavrov spoke alongside his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel García-Margallo.
NATO and Russia have agreed to meet Wednesday in Brussels for talks on the crisis in Ukraine -- their first public contact since the Crimea crisis began.
NATO said Tuesday the Russian military presence in Ukraine presents "serious implications for the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area."
Kerry was in Kyiv on Tuesday to meet with Ukrainian officials and said the United States wants to see a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
The Obama administration also announced a $1 billion energy subsidy package for Ukraine, which is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
The Crimean peninsula was placed under Ukrainian control in 1954 by then-Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. It remained part of Ukraine when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Crimea has a tiny border with Russia on its far eastern point, and the Crimean port of Sevastapol is home to Russia's Black Sea fleet.
Most residents of Crimea are ethnic Russians, but the region also is home to ethnic Muslim Tatars, who generally show disdain for Russia.
Ukrainian officials say Moscow has sent 16,000 troops into Crimea since last week.
Ukraine's troubles began in November, when president Viktor Yanukovych backed out of a trade deal with the European Union in favor of closer ties and economic aid from Russia. The move triggered weeks of pro-Western anti-government demonstrations in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine, and forced the pro-Russian Yanukovych to flee the capital in late February.