February 12, 2015

Biden: Russia must get out of Ukraine

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MUNICH – U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden says Russian President Vladimir Putin faces a choice to either “get out” of Ukraine or face “continued international isolation” and domestic economic problems. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 7, Mr. Biden said that, unless Russia changed course in its involvement in Ukraine, the international community would continue to “impose costs” on Moscow for its “violation of international norms.” He said that Russia was disregarding Ukraine’s sovereignty with its involvement in eastern Ukraine, where a conflict between rebels and the government has killed more than 5,350 people since April, and charged that pro-Russian separatist leaders and the core of the “trained fighters” in eastern Ukraine “directly answer to Mr. Putin.” The U.S. vice-president told an audience that included world leaders and senior officials that no country had spheres of influence and that every independent country had the “sovereign right to choose its own alliances” – a warning that Russia cannot keep Ukraine out of the European Union or NATO against its will. He also left open the possibility of Washington providing defensive military aid to Ukraine. “We will continue to provide Ukraine with security assistance, not to encourage war, but to allow Ukraine to defend itself,” he said. “Let me be clear: we do not believe there is a military solution in Ukraine.” (RFE/RL, with reporting by Reuters)

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