United Nations Calls for De-Escalation of Tensions in Ukraine Go Unheeded

Tensions mounted this past weekend over the crisis in Ukraine as thousands of armed Russian soldiers, often wearing masks and uniforms without any national insignia, reportedly surrounded the regional parliament building and other government facilities in the Crimean capital city of Simferopol.

They also effectively closed the region’s two main airports and took control over key communications hubs. On Saturday morning, at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s request, the upper house of the Russian Parliament formally granted him the authority to use military force, not just in Crimea but throughout Ukraine. President Obama’s response to Putin’s maneuvers was to call the Russian leader on Saturday and urge him to pull back his military forces or risk isolation in the international community if he refused. Obama also laid out the initial “cost” of Russia’s provocative actions - the U.S. is suspending its participation in preparations for the upcoming Group of 8 economic summit in Sochi, Russia. “President Obama expressed his deep concern over Russia’s clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is a breach of international law,” the White House said in its readout of the call. “The United States condemns Russia’s military intervention into Ukrainian territory. The United States calls on Russia to de-escalate tensions by withdrawing its forces back to bases in Crimea and to refrain from any interference elsewhere in Ukraine.”

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The Kremlin provided its own readout of the call. It said that Putin pointed out to Obama the “real threat to the lives and health of Russian citizens” currently in Ukraine, and referred to “the provocative and criminal actions on the part of ultranationalists who are in fact being supported by the current authorities in Kiev.” In a statement issued on Saturday attributable to the Spokesperson for United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General called for “an immediate restoration of calm and direct dialogue between all concerned to solve the current crisis.” Later in the day on Saturday, Ban Ki-moon called Putin. Here are Ban’s remarks describing the call:

“I have just spoken directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin by telephone. I told him that I am closely following the serious and rapidly unfolding developments in Ukraine. I am gravely concerned by some of the recent events in particular those that could in any way compromise the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. It is crucial to restore calm and proceed to an immediate de-escalation of the situation. Cool heads must prevail and dialogue must be the only tool in ending this crisis. I appealed to President Putin to urgently engage in direct dialogue with the authorities in Kiev.”

Meanwhile, an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was held on Saturday afternoon to discuss the Ukrainian crisis – the second such meeting in two days. For the first two hours, the Security Council members wrangled behind closed doors on whether they should hold their discussions in public or in private consultations. They reached a compromise of sorts – a brief public meeting followed by much lengthier closed door consultations. During the open meeting, UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson reported that “key sites such as airports, communications and public buildings, including the regional parliament, reportedly continue to be blocked by unidentified armed men. There are further reports of armed personnel taking control of regional administration buildings in several cities in the East and South of Ukraine.” He informed the Council that the new Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksenov had released a statement appealing to President Putin "to provide assistance in ensuring peace and tranquillity on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea." The statement also announced that he was taking control of security in Crimea "on a temporary basis." Deputy Secretary General Eliasson noted that the special envy whom Ban Ki-moon had sent to Kiev on a fact-finding mission, Robert Serry, decided not to travel on to Crimea because of “logistical” reasons. Mr. Eliasson called for restoration of calm and dialogue among all concerned parties. “Now is the time for cool heads to prevail,” he advised in closing. The Deputy Secretary General’s advice was promptly ignored. The verbal sparks were flying, reminiscent of Cold War sparring in the Security Council that had often paralyzed the UN body from taking any effective action. The Ukrainian ambassador to the UN, Yuriy Sergeyev, who was invited to attend the open meeting on Saturday, accused Russia of “an act of aggression” in “severe violation of international law.” He added that the “Russian Federation brutally violated the basic principles of Charter of the United Nations obliging all member states to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.” He called for the members of the Security Council to take a stand against Russian aggression that interfered with Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He repeated these themes in remarks to the press after his Security Council statement. He also defended the legality of the Ukrainian parliament’s removal of the ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, whom has sought refuge in Russia. Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the Security Council that Russia had acted at the request of the regional authorities in Crimea, making a dubious distinction in claiming that Russian troops could be deployed "on the territory of Ukraine," but not "against Ukraine." In response to calls for Russia to refrain from intervention to protect its interests, he said that "[W]e can't agree with this at all." Churkin lashed out at the “radicals” in the "illegal" government in Kiev who were allegedly threatening peace and security in Crimea. He questioned the legality of the manner in which Yanukovych was removed from office, noting that Yanukovych had been democratically elected. Churkin did not speak to reporters on Saturday, but the previous day he had told reporters that the new government in Kiev was not representative of all political factions of Ukraine and was trying to impose its political will on the rest of the country. He accused the European Union of treating Ukraine as its “province” and charged that it was the West’s interference that had helped cause the Ukrainian crisis in the first place. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power expressed the strong support of the U.S. for the new government of Ukraine in her remarks to the Security Council on Saturday. Russia’s “intervention is without legal basis - indeed it violates Russia's commitment to protect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Ukraine,” she said. “It is time for the Russian intervention in Ukraine to end.” Ambassador Power also accused the Russians of double standards with regard to its position on national sovereignty. “It is ironic that the Russian Federation regularly goes out of its way in this Chamber to emphasize the sanctity of national borders and of sovereignty,” she said, “but Russian actions in Ukraine are violating the sovereignty of Ukraine and pose a threat to peace and security.” Ambassador Power proposed that international monitors and observers - including from the UN and OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, in which Russia and Ukraine are members] be sent to Ukraine. “That's the best way to get the facts, monitor conduct, and prevent any abuses,” she said. Russia so far has shown little inclination to accept this proposal. In remarks to the press after the completion of the Security Council’s closed door consultations, Ambassador Power said that Russia’s “military presence in Crimea is a violation of international law.” While the situation on the ground in Ukraine continues to deteriorate, including the Ukrainian naval chief’s pledge of allegiance to the Crimean pro-Russia authorities who are defying the authority of the new central government in Kiev, the war of words from the Obama administration continued to escalate on Sunday. Secretary of State John Kerry warned on “Meet the Press” that Russia was facing isolation and opprobrium from the international community, which could result in trade and investment penalties, asset freezes, denial of visas, and even possible expulsion from the G-8. He accused Putin of “possibly trying to annex Crimea” and said that Russia was displaying 19th century behavior in the 21st century by committing “aggression” on a “phony pretext.” That said, any military option by the U.S. in response to Russia’s actions appears to be off the table at least for now. So far, despite all of the flurry of activities at the United Nations on Saturday, virtually nothing was accomplished because the Ukraine has become ensnared in a geopolitical struggle between the West and Russia. Perhaps, if conditions permit, the UN could play a constructive monitoring and mediation role along with the OSCE, but that is a mighty big “if.”