WASHINGTON, March 7 (PNA/Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack
Obama has proposed a diplomatic resolution once again on Thursday to the
ongoing crisis in Ukraine in his phone talks with Russian President Vladimir
Putin.
In their hour-long conversation, Obama told the Russian
leader that Russia's actions in Crimea, an autonomous republic in southern
Ukraine, "are in violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial
integrity, which has led us to take several steps in response, in coordination
with our European partners," the White House said.
The Obama administration announced visa bans and assets
freeze Thursday against those Russians and Ukrainians involved in what it
called Russia's takeover of Crimea, following suspension of trade and
investment talks and military-to-military engagement with Russia.
"President Obama indicated that there is a way to
resolve the situation diplomatically, which addresses the interests of Russia,
the people of Ukraine, and the international community," the White House
said in a readout of the talks, the second this week.
It said Obama's suggestions to include direct talks between
the governments of Ukraine and Russia; the deployment of international monitors
to ensure the rights of all Ukrainians are protected, including ethnic
Russians; the return of Russian forces to their bases in Crimea; and
international support for presidential elections in Ukraine in May.
Obama also said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry would
continue discussions with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, though the
pair had reached no agreement following their talks in Paris and Rome on
Wednesday and Thursday.
Russia did not recognize Ukraine's new government put in
place after pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted on Feb. 22, and
called the events in the neighboring country a coup. (PNA/Xinhua)
FFC/EBP
