Ukraine's ousted President Viktor Yanukovych blamed his political opponents for the apparent loss of the Crimea region to Russia Tuesday and said that a presidential election set for May 25 was 'absolutely illegitimate and illegal.'
Yanukovych made his remarks at a press conference in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Yanukovych has been in Russia since asking for and receiving a guarantee of protection from Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. The former leader of Ukraine fled the country's capital, Kiev, on February 22 after a week of violence between anti-government protesters and security forces killed at least 82 people.
The events in Kiev were overshadowed by the deployment of thousands of pro-Russian troops in Crimea beginning February 27. Last week, Crimea's parliament voted to ask Putin to join Russia as a province. A referendum to confirm the decision is set for Sunday, though the U.S. and its European allies have described the referendum as illegal.
On Tuesday, Ukraine's acting President, Oleksandr Turchynov, asked the national parliament to approve a decision to turn the country's Interior Ministry troops into a National Guard whose aim 'is to defend the country and citizens against any criminals, against external and internal aggression.'
Turchynov said that the mobilization would include those who have previously served in the army as well as volunteers. In response, Yanukovych restated his claim of being Ukraine's lawful president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and expressed confidence that the military would refuse to obey what he called 'criminal orders' from his opponents, whom he dubbed 'extremists.'
Yanukovych also criticized the U.S. government for its support of the interim regime in Kiev, noting that American law prohibits providing financial aid to 'illegitimate' governments. The White House announced last week that it would provide Ukraine's new government with $1 billion in loan guarantees to keep the country from defaulting on its debts.
bberitaa.blogspot.com contributed to this report.
Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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