Update | Obama warns Putin over military intervention in Ukraine as armed squads take up positions
US President 'deeply concerned' and warns of 'costs' as reports indicate the presence of hundreds of armed men believed to be Russian in transit and at airports in Crimea
US President Barack Obama has warned Russia against any military intervention in Ukraine after the country’s new leaders accused Moscow of deploying forces in the Crimea region.
European leaders also challenged Moscow to make its intentions clear on Saturday, with Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier demanding transparency over the "acute" situation, Britain's Foreign Minister William Hague urging "de-escalation" and France's Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault inisting the territorial integrity of Ukraine "must absolutely be respected".
In Moscow, the head of Russia's upper house of parliament said on Saturday she could not rule out the dispatch of a limited troop contingent to Crimea in order to protect the Black Sea fleet's base there. Valentina Matviyenko gave no indication that a decision had been taken on this but said sending troops might be possible following a request for assistance from the pro-Russia authorities there.
"It is possible, in this situation ... even to send a limited contingent to guarantee the security of the Black Sea fleet and Russian citizens living on the territory of Crimea," Matviyenko said
A week after Russian-backed President Viktor Yanukovich was ousted in Kiev, armed men took control of two airports in Crimea on Friday in what Kiev described as an invasion and occupation by Moscow’s forces in a region with an ethnic Russian majority.
Acting president Oleksander Turchinov said Russia, which has a naval base in Crimea, was following a scenario like the one before it went to war with fellow former Soviet republic Georgia in 2008 over two breakaway regions.
