REPORT: Russia says planned US financial aid to Ukraine is illegal

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that planned U.S. financial aid to Ukraine is illegal and outside American legal norms since it would be funding an illegitimate regime.
   
"By all criteria, issuing funding to an illegitimate regime that seized power by force is unlawful and goes beyond the framework of the American legal system," the ministry said in a statement.
    
The statement echoed assertions made earlier in the day by ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich. The ministry also warned Washington about the consequences of "unconditionally indulging radical elements" in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his U.S. counterpart John Kerry on Tuesday that any solution to Ukraine's crisis must take into account the interests of all Ukrainians in all regions and that the right of residents of Crimea to determine their future must be respected, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
   
Kerry and Lavrov "exchanged opinions about concrete proposals by Russia and the United States to ensure civil peace and concord" in Ukraine, the ministry said in a statement. It gave no indication they had reached any agreement, but said they would continue to talk.

This comes after Ukraine's ousted leader, Viktor Yanukovich, reiterated that he was the country's legitimate president and commander-in-chief, saying he was sure the armed forces would refuse to obey any "criminal orders".   

In a statement in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Yanukovich remained unswayed in his argument that "extremists" had taken power in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. He told journalists that a presidential election set for May 25 would be illegal.

Yanukovich said that Crimea is breaking away from Ukraine and blamed opponents who forced him from power for developments on the Black Sea peninsula, which is holding a referendum on Sunday on joining Russia.
   
In his statement to journalists, Yanukovich also said US financial aid to Ukraine would be illegal, saying that U.S. law does not allow the government to aid "bandits".

EU:

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the European Union would impose sanctions on Russia starting on Monday over its military intervention in Ukraine's Crimea region.
   
"When it comes to sanctions on Russia, a decision has in fact already been made, especially on the procedure of introducing sanctions. The consequence of this will be the start of sanctions on Monday," Tusk told a news conference on Tuesday.

The European Commission also agreed to extend 500 million euros worth of unilateral trade benefits to Ukraine, removing import duties on a wide range of agricultural and other goods in an effort to support the Ukrainian economy.
   
European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said the decision would come into effect immediately and run until at least Nov. 1 this year, by which time the European Union expects to have signed a full free-trade agreement with Kiev.
   
The total value of the benefits is estimated at 487 million euros a year, De Gucht said, with most of that (330 million euros) coming from the removal of import duties on agricultural and processed agricultural goods. Duties will also be removed on some industrial goods and textiles.
   
The decision is part of efforts by the EU to prop up Ukraine following the ouster of former president Viktor Yanukovich.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk accused Russia of seeking to undermine the world security system by its incursion into Crimea.   

Yatseniuk, who travels to the United States on Thursday for talks with President Barack Obama, said of the crisis on the Crimea peninsula where Russian forces are backing separatists:   

"This is not a two-sided conflict. These are actions by the Russian Federation aimed at undermining the system of global security."   

Yatseniuk told parliament that Ukraine remained open for "transparent" negotiations with Russia to build a new relationship in which Moscow recognized Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity.

Germany

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the European Union would rather avoid confrontation with Russia over its incursion into Ukrainian territory in Crimea but would have to prepare an EU response if Moscow doesn't back down.   

"If the weekend passes without a visible change in Russia's conduct, then on Monday in the European Council we will have to discuss a next stage of measures," he said on a visit to the Baltic States, all EU members who are worried about Ukraine.   

"We don't want confrontation but the action of the Russian side unfortunately makes it necessary for us to prepare, as I have just outlined to you," Steinmeier told reporters in the Estonian capital Tallinn.

France

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said sanctions against Russia over Ukraine could be imposed as early as this week if Moscow fails to respond to a proposition designed to calm the crisis.
   
Fabius told the radio station France Inter that a referendum in the Crimea region on joining Russia set for March 16 was illegitimate and that the annexation of the region by Russia would be illegal.
   
"The only legitimate vote is that of May 25 for the president of the republic in Ukraine. The vote of March 16 has no legitimacy," Fabius said.

NATO

A NATO E-3A AWACS plane will fly over Romanian airspace as part of a planned exercise on Tuesday, Romania's defence ministry said.
   
NATO had said AWACS (airborne early warning and control) planes will fly from their home airbases in Geilenkirchen, Germany, and Waddington in Britain.
   
The Romanian ministry said AWACS planes fly at an altitude of 9,000 metres (5.6 miles), their radar can survey an area of up to 312,000 square kilometres and can detect low-flying targets.
   
The NATO alliance said on Monday it will start reconnaissance flights over Poland and Romania to monitor the situation in neighbouring Ukraine where Russian forces have taken control of Crimea.
   
Ukraine is not a NATO member but Russia's intervention in Crimea has alarmed neighbouring countries, including alliance members that used to be dominated by the Soviet Union.